His Brother
by Hana Yen
Summary: There I was, happily bidding my time away in Hell until a stupid suggestion booted me out of the world I had known onto Earth just to look for Malum, my brother. Why me, damnit! OC is Sebastian's brother.
1. Beginning Arc : Why me?

Hello minna-san, HY here with a Kuroshitsuji fanfic. It's my first fanfic for this fandom, please be kind with me *bows*.

Summary : Sebastian's brother got booted out of Hell to see how Sebastian was doing on earth. (You'll have to read the rest to judge how the story is going ^^)

A/N: This is written in a first person's point of view (Sebastian's brother) and I intended it to be mainly humorous - trying to experiment on writing comedic stories, as well as my sadistic muse had been bugging me even when I'd been having my exams last month...I'll be following the manga storyline as I've only watched bits and pieces of the anime (wasn't to keen on Ash/Angela, Drocell and Queen V wanting Ciel dead…).

I'll stick as closely as possible to how the characters are, but they will be slightly OOC in some circumstances. Also I apologise beforehand for the language not being too accurate with 19th century – this story was written merely for fun and enjoyment of readers (I hope). Contains hints of shounen-ai if you squint (my first attempt as well).

Please do read and review so that I know whether this is worth continuing or scraping off . Thank you for your support!

Disclaimer : I don't own Kuroshitsuji except for my OC :D

**His Brother **

**Beginning Arc : Why me?**

It started one fine day…_Initially_, it was to me…

Until dinnertime…

There all of us were, dining away with souls, flushing their unique tastes down our throats with their blood when Mother spoke.

"I haven't seen Malum in awhile now. I wonder how he's doing…?" she sighed.

Malum's my big brother. The eldest in our family. Mother's _absolute_ favourite…Or should I say Mummy's No.1 Boy?

Father placated her. "Now, my dear, Malum's busy with his latest assignment and he informed us he won't be returning in awhile…"

"I know, but I miss his presence. I missed those times when he used to perform his wicked deeds in front of me for show…"

Yup, that's why he's Mother's favourite. No one beats him at sinning, alright. For demons like us, the more you sin the higher your status rises amongst us.

"Well, you could always send someone to see how he's doing, Mother," drawled out Brother 4 as he picked his teeth with a tibia. There are many siblings in my family as demons breed a _lot_, so I'll save all of you the trouble of having to know all my brothers names. Heh, it's not like _I_ even remember all my brothers' names either…

"That's a good suggestion…He's currently busy with this earl of some sort, so one of you could go there and help him out as well as report on how he's doing…," mused Mother as she petted her cobra, Selena, resting on her shoulder. "Selena, baby, mind doing the honours of selecting which son of mine to go and visit Malum?" she cooed.

Honestly, since it was Brother 4's suggestion, shouldn't _he_ go instead?

I poked at my food, avoiding from looking at Selena. She is one hell of a creepy snake. She spits fi –

_Fuuuh!_

What the hell?

I leapt out of my chair, hovering in the air as I _barely_ missed the shot of flames which charred the chair I was sitting on seconds ago.

That _freaking_ snake! She picked _me_? Of all the brothers, it had to be _me_? If I ever managed to get to her…

It was Mother's voice which pulled my attention back to my parents. Both of them were smiling, but Mother's smile was more evil. "It seems Selena has chosen you, Sial..."

I opened my mouth to protest, "Why me?", when a flash of blinding light and a furious compelling force hit me, pushing upwards and the last thing I remember was the piercing look Selena gave me before I lost consciousness.

_Thud!_

Urgh, it was so _not_ fun to be shoved out from Hell like a geyser gushing out before falling to this place called Earth. I rubbed at my aching bones, silently cursing. My mind was furiously working as to why that evil snake had picked me. Finally it dawned upon me.

The reason why Selena had chosen me was because I was the least evil in the family. Despite being a demon, I was never really bothered about my demonic duties, a.k.a creating havoc, sinning, all the dirty deeds you could think of. I preferred to keep to myself, enjoy reading the life stories of all the sinners in the library of the souls we kept. I suppose both Mother and Father kept a hidden record of how much their children had sinned, and my score was probably close to zero.

I looked at my current surroundings – the sight of green grass, shrubs and flowers welcomed me and the sky was nice and blue…Way to go, Sial, you're _not _exactly supposed to be enjoying your new surroundings, I reminded myself. But…it was nice for a change, you know? Down there…everything's just…dead…and black…

Maybe that's the reason why Brother 1, a.k.a Malum doesn't want to return…?

Right, speaking of him…How was I supposed to know where to look for him? I just got booted out in the open broad daylight with no instructions at all! Besides, I didn't even know who this earl person he was currently with! Like I said before, I don't really bother about most things, and Malum's one of them.

My head was itchy at the moment and I used my paws to scratch –

Wait a moment, my _paws_? I looked down at my body.

This time I cursed out loud, "Fuck!"

Except that it came out as a loud and _humiliatingly_, "Mraow!"

How was it that I was turned into a _fucking _black cat? Oh, Lucifer, if Malum could see me now I would die of embarrassment!

A sound of a door opening made me tilt my head to see a man in what seemed like a butler's uniform to me, come out. He began approaching me and I took that as a cue to run off. Maybe he wanted to chase me away – from what I've read, humans were highly superstitious of black cats.

I had no idea why my body refused to move. I was glued to the ground as he picked me up. And I waited to get flung and a shouting of, "Get lost you filthy, unlucky cat!"…

_Stroke…_

If my eyes couldn't get any wider, his gloved hand was stroking my paw, his eyes were closed and he was softly cooing, "Ahh, how soft your paws are…So nice to touch…"

Sure, considering I bathed in goat's milk occasionally to maintain my skin's suppleness…

But my skin (fur?) was crawling, looking at his facial expression…which looked so…I could only think of one word at the moment.

Perverted.

It was at that moment when he opened his eyes that I noticed they were red, and everything happened at once.

_Poof!_

Somebody please kill me now.

I transformed into a human body. The worst part was that I was stark _naked_.

And the butler had one hand on my human ass, with the other still holding my hand.

And those red eyes…belonged to Malum…

"Urgh!" I squirmed as I tried to hide my family jewels from his semi-second shocked gaze before he dropped me on the ground. "Oww!"

"What was that for – ," I groaned as I tried to rise to my feet but he pinned me down, his fingers around my neck.

"_Who are you, and why are you here_?" his voice was quiet, but it made the hairs on my back rise up. I think he recognised my aura as a demon…

See, I told you we have so many brothers in the family until we don't exactly know each other…

"Malum, it's me your brother Sial!" I hurriedly spoke in one breath. When I was loads younger, I've seen Malum squeeze the life out of someone without blinking an eye and I didn't want to be in that position.

"Sial?"

I fervently nodded, wondering if it was Mother's intention for all this misfortune to befall me.

Malum suddenly spun me around.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I shouted as a hand landed on my ass to check.

"Hmm…you _do_ have the same birthmark as I do…so I guess you really are my brother," he eventually said. I heaved a sigh of relief.

"Why are you here?" he repeated his question, the one I initially forgot to answer due to him almost choking the air from my lungs.

"Mother sent me. She missed you…and your evil deeds, so she wanted to see how you are doing," I explained. A slow smile spread on my face as I just realised what Malum was doing.

He was a _butler_ to an earl. A _servant_! The great Malum, one of the most feared demons in Hell, was a _servant_ on Earth! I struggled to keep my face straight but my sides were twitching and he cocked an eyebrow.

"What is so humorous, Sial?"

I couldn't hold it in. I burst out laughing, clutching my sides. "I can't believe you're a butler! In a uniform and all! Bwahahahaha!"

I saw a slight twitch on his forehead as he took out a pocket watch. "Almost time for the young Master's tea."

_Young Master_? Oh Lucifer, I never thought I'd actually hear those words! I almost rolled on the ground, laughing.

"I may be in a butler's uniform, but _you're_ still naked," he smirked before returning to the door he came through.

_Those words_ totally killed the laughter from me. And he was leaving me out here alone, even after he acknowledged me as his brother!

"Wait! Are you just going to leave me out here like _this_?" I cried. That evil, vile – !

"You're a demon yourself, Sial," were his final words, shooting me one last look I deemed _weird_,before he closed the door.

If only there was a river I could jump into and drown this human body I was currently in, I would have done so.

_Because_ I was a demon, I _didn't _have to remain a cat to look for Malum. I could have given myself a human body before going to look for him.

_Because_ I was a demon, I could have just _clothed_ myself when I found out I was stark naked without having to further humiliate myself in front of Malum.

Honestly, Sial, as a demon, you're an epic fail…

Now, since I've found Malum, what was I supposed to do?

I really, really wanted to go home.

* * *

A/N : Sort of based on Chap 5 of Kuro. You can see how I've changed the scene where Sebastian, being exasperated with the servants, rushed out to see his favourite cat...That's what I'll be doing with the other chapters I will upload _if_ you (the readers) like this story and support it :D

Sial's a legit word, which its meaning I'll reveal later. Malum means evil.

Please do read and review!


	2. Beginning Arc : Her orders

HY : Hi minna, sorry for the late update! Thanks so much for your support! Will do my best to write this story, which is something new...(as in the genre is shounen ai...erm...)

I don't own Kuroshitsuji. If I did, I'd make Sebastian complete all my school assessments :P

**Chap 2**

**Beginning arc : Her orders.**

I really ought to give myself some clothes to wear, but I wasn't too sure what to clothe my body. I couldn't wear my own clothes from Hell – that would freak the hell out of other people because they weren't very presentable looking material. A sleeveless vest with jaggered armholes and trousers which reached my knees, also ripped at the edges.

Yup, that was what I wore daily back home. But here, seeing Malum so *snigger* impeccably dressed I had surmised that the people here were really _covered up_…

Conservative. Uh-huh.

So I couldn't be prancing around in my gear, which wasn't a very pleasant thought, in my opinion…

The thing which was stopping me from snapping my fingers and putting some clothes on my birthday suit was that I wasn't too sure what people wore here.

Okay, Malum's garments were my first example of what I probably was supposed to wear here, but _no _way!

_I _wasn't going to wear some _servant_ garb! I was from a noble family in Hell…and I had some pride! I had no idea what Malum was thinking, lowering himself to _that_ extent…

I eventually settled for a comfortable tunic and trousers, ignoring my initial discomfort at having too much cloth on my body.

So, what should I do now?

I didn't know anyone except Malum, and there was nothing – as in a reflective surface – that I could use to communicate with Mother and Father, to tell them I'd seen Eldest Brother and I very much wanted to return home.

My ears caught the opening of the door and a childish chuckle being emitted.

That wasn't Malum – _where the heck was he…?_ – plus the fact I had no other acquaintances here and therefore being spotted on this earl's property would mean that I was a trespasser, so I scuttled up a tree to hide, not wanting to be spotted by the owner of the chuckle earlier.

Moments later a young boy passed the tree I was on, singing some song gaily and waving a pair of shears. _Must be the gardener…_I bored-ly thought as I shut my eyes, waiting to meet Malum again.

"Sial…"

Urgh, go away, let me sleep…

"Sial!"

I felt my ribs being prodded and I turned, opening my eyes blearily as I crashed onto the ground – _almost_!

My senses had kicked in, ensuring I did not land harshly, but I almost kissed the soil….

I sprang up, totally alert now. It was dark – night time. _How long had I been sleeping there on the tree?_

"Sial."

I looked upwards. Malum was balancing himself on the tree branch I had been occupying for hours while waiting for him.

"What time is it now?" I almost growled. I was pissed at my time being wasted, having to wait for him, being reliant on him simply because I had to see how he was doing and there was nowhere else I could go unless I wanted to wind up lost. I wasn't a demon with a particularly good sense of direction unless I had guidance…

Malum looked at his pocket watch. "Almost midnight. Everyone in the manor is sleeping right now, so you can come into my quarters."

"Almost midnight?" I screeched. I grit my teeth, thinking of the hours I could have spent back home happily reading my books…

I contained my growing annoyance when Malum shot me a look I couldn't decipher. "So, does the earl know of my presence?" I finally asked.

"No. I intend for you to return home once we've spoken to Mother about this."

Yes, thank you, Brother! Those were the words I wanted to hear. Since you don't want me here, and I don't want _me_ here either, we're in a mutual agreement. And since Malum is Mother's favourite, obviously she would agree to his words of sending me home.

Once I stepped into Malum's room – Malum said he was going to ensure the mansion's safety and I'd rolled my eyes at _that_, I immediately headed for the mirror. It was one of the methods I could use to communicate with Mother, tell her I'd seen her _darling_ son, so could I go home now, please?

I trailed my middle finger along the outline of the mirror.

Hmm, if I wasn't mistaken I would have to trail my finger anticlockwise six times, and then clockwise six times before pricking my finger to draw out blood for some symbols I'd to draw on the mirror six times…

I did so, but nothing happened. I blinked, and repeated the procedure twice but still no avail.

What the – ?

If Malum sees I dirtied his mirror –

_Chuckle._

_Great,_ he _did_ see I dirtied his mirror…

Wearily I spun my head to look at him. A chill went down my spine.

You know how ironic it can get when a _smile_ – a gesture that supposedly brings _joy_ to humans – can actually be _scary_?

Demons don't really smile. In our true forms, those smile turn into something more grotesque. Any further description from me will make you lose your appetite for dinner.

"Tsk, you're really young after all…"

I jumped backwards as in a blink of an eye Malum was in front of both the mirror and I.

"I…I'll clean the mirror…I just want to communicate with Mother…" I was trying not to stammer nor show my fear, but who was I kidding? _Wonderful_, my last sentence made it seem like I was a crybaby, wanting his mother.

"You've obviously mixed up the spell with something else if you've had to try _that_ hard…" Malum's smile broadened as a gloved hand reached out to hold my bleeding hand.

My body immediately braced itself to withstand the pain of broken bones…or probably chewed off fingers as Malum neared my middle finger – the one I used for the spell – to his razor sharp teeth.

I know, by now you're all screaming at me, "Why the hell aren't you running away or making some effort to escape yet, you fool?"

Considering the slow motion of events, I should have been able to teleport myself somewhere _away_ from Malum, or _maybe_ launch a punch at him as my middle finger was entering his mouth…but it was plain obvious.

What was a plain small fry demon like myself with not much experience, able to do in the midst of Malum's presence, who had centuries of escape tricks' knowledge up his sleeve? – he could read all my moves. Escape was futile.

I slowly swallowed as Malum's teeth were on my digit and he was looking at me the way a predator would a prey that clearly was going to be eaten.

I looked away. I wasn't going to look at my brother biting my finger off, and then spewing out whatever content I had in my stomach. _I can handle pain_, I mentally chanted to myself.

Something wet sliding on my finger halted my mental chanting.

My eyes widened, turning to look back at Malum who had a blasted smirk on his mouth and a cocked eyebrow –

Oh, fuck!

He was _licking_ my finger!

My insides churned and I felt nauseous.

_Pop!_

My finger was released from its _wet_ dungeon and the bleeding had stopped – Malum's doing – and I slid to the ground, my knees unable to support my body any longer.

My other hand flew to my mouth, I really wanted to retch but I couldn't. Malum's human saliva on my finger was evaporating, but the chill I felt wouldn't disappear as well…

_Chuckle._

"You're really young, Sial." Malum bit his own middle finger and proceeded to work out the spell – _hey, since when had the mirror been cleaned?_

Right.

When I was gathering my scrambled thoughts, stopping myself from turning into a puddle of mush on the floor after the mental and somewhat _sexual_ torture.

He was right. The spell was more complex and his movements were swift and graceful. I'd somehow skipped three steps in between the spell. Bleh.

His smear of blood began to manifest into fine, spider web-like patterns, crisscrossing each other until the entire mirror had his blood on it.

A flash of light blinded my sight for a moment.

"_Maaaluuum!_"

That girlish squeal forced me to open my eyes and I snorted as my first thought was, _Must be one of those female demons Malum has relationships with…_

I couldn't see who it was since Malum was blocking the person from my view, maybe he didn't want me, his brother to know who it was…?

The spell worked as such: We would open a communication portal to where we aimed and the nearest demon would relay our message to the intended demon, if we weren't speaking to them already.

"My dear Mother, you look as lovely as ever…"

_M-Mother…?_

_As in one of the most feared she demons of the Underworld…_

_Who sounded like some hysterical infatuated young maiden seeing the love of her life?_

I was sure my soul had flown from my body…

"Sial, come over here and greet our mother," Malum's voice woke me from my shocked state.

I scrambled to my feet – my knees were still shaking – before bowing. "Mother."

"Sial, how are you finding the human world so far?" Mother had her infamous smirk on her features again.

It's better to say I like Hell than here, so that I can return home much earlier.

"I prefer Hell's atmosphere, Mother," I replied.

"Hmm…Malum, when are _you_ returning home? I've really missed you…"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes – _that would have been the death of me_ – at those words. _See the oh-so-obvious favouritism?_

"Mother, I've already said I wouldn't return in awhile. Besides, don't we communicate like this every week?" Malum had what I'd label as a patient looking smile –

Wait a friggin' minute! If Mother spoke to Malum every week, that _what was my purpose here…_?

My eyes went back to the mirror. Mother's reflection had been watching my reaction all the while. I stopped breathing at the moment before I slowly swallowed inwardly.

At the corner of my eye, Malum had also stiffened.

Mother's smirk widened into something more fearsome that Malum's smile earlier.

"Malum, I want you to shape Sial into a demon worthy of his lineage!"

_Crack-boom!_

Was it just my heart that had exploded at Mother's words, or was the weather outside really foul?

_Shape me into a proper demon…? What?_

"This is an order!" Her voice was sharp, disallowing any argument.

"_Yes, Mother_." Malum bowed.

I couldn't see the expression on his face. All I knew was my own dreams of returning home had been dashed. I silently grit my teeth but what exactly could I do, anyway?

"Sial, you are fine with this decision?" spoke Mother. _Oh, the irony…_

I couldn't say no. Malum himself had acquiesced…because Mother had given her order.

Mother's words were Law. Back in Hell, even if Father held a noble title, even _he_ couldn't go against her.

"Very well. I'll see you next week then, Malum…"

"Mother, I have something to ask." Malum sounded serious.

"Yes?"

I decided to sit on the floor in a corner since their conversation didn't involve me…

"Why does Sial look like _that_?"

I looked at both Malum and Mother's reflection, my movements halted. Why do I look like _what_? Did I have a third eye, or something? The only mirror in the room was used, so I tried to look at my reflection on the window panels.

I looked relatively normal…So why was Malum asking…?

I saw Mother have an amused look on her face. Malum's expression was still unreadable.

"Malum, I'm sure you'll have some good use for Sial. I'll see you next week…"

With that, Mother blew Malum a kiss and disappeared from the mirror.

"This has gotten a little problematic, hasn't it…?" sighed Malum after both of us stood in the room. No, it was more of like I was rooted to the spot while Malum cleaned the mirror.

I didn't know what to answer.

"I'll have to report this to the young Master tomorrow. For now, you should get some sleep." He gestured to the bed.

I shook my head.

"Sial, don't be so stubborn."

"There's no _effing_ way I'm going to share _that_ bed with you!"

* * *

HY : Please do RnR so that I can improve! Thanks heaps!


	3. Beginning Arc : Sial, Ciel

Summary : Sebastian's brother got booted out of Hell to see how Sebastian was doing on earth. (You'll have to read the rest to judge how the story is going ^^)

A/N: This is written in a first person's point of view (Sebastian's brother) and I intended it to be mainly humorous - trying to experiment on writing comedic stories, as well as my sadistic muse had been bugging me even when I'd been having my exams last month...I'll be following the manga storyline as I've only watched bits and pieces of the anime (wasn't to keen on Ash/Angela, Drocell and Queen V wanting Ciel dead…).

I'll stick as closely as possible to how the characters are, but they will be slightly OOC in some circumstances. Also I apologise beforehand for the language not being too accurate with 19th century – this story was written merely for fun and enjoyment of readers (I hope). Contains hints of shounen-ai if you squint (my first attempt as well).

Please do read and review so that I know whether this is worth continuing or scraping off . Thank you for your support!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji except my OC :D

There I was, happily bidding my time away in Hell until a stupid suggestion booted me out of the world I had known onto Earth just to look for Malum, my brother. Why me, damnit!

* * *

**Chap 3**

**His Brother : Sial, Ciel…**

"Wake up, Sial…"

Uhn…just a little longer…It's not like I have any lessons with those sadistic tutors…

I rolled to my left, ignoring whoever was disturbing my sleep.

"I need you to wake up now…Sial…"

Hot breath whispered into my ear. I felt a lick on my earlobe…

My eyes shot open to look into glinting crimson orbs.

"Argh!" I shouted as I scrambled away and fell off the bed. Apparently my powers were also sleeping, like what I was earlier…until Malum…

_Ugh!_

"You have an audience with the Young Master, Sial in ten minutes. I've prepared some clothes which would suit his presence instead of those pajama-like clothes you decided to clothe yourself."

"These clothes aren't night wear!" I argued, rubbing my arms to rid them of the chill of the _morning welcome_ of my brother…

"The clock is ticking, Sial. The earl is a busy person." Malum completely ignored my rebuttal, plastering a smile on his face.

My eyebrow twitched in pure irritation. Wow, was it so _fantastic_ just to meet this Master of yours? It wasn't as if _I _wanted to meet him! But now since I was stuck here…

Malum was looking at me. "Do you want me to dress you up just like I do the young Master?"

"Get out!" I screeched as I flung a pillow in his direction.

Which _obviously_ didn't hit him.

* * *

"Explain the meaning of this, _Sebastian_."

Those were the first words I heard from the earl and it was very clear to me now as to the glances Malum had shot in my direction and I hadn't understood them, nor when he asked Mother why I looked the way I was.

_What has Mother done…? Why in Hell do I somehow have some resemblance to the earl…?_

Despite the fact he had bluish grey hair and one sapphire blue eye while I had black onyx hair and green eyes, we both had similar pointed noses and mouths. And if we both scowled, we were definitely peas in a pod. Except that he scowled more.

Aside that, who was he referring to as Sebastian? Did he mean – ?

"My apologies, young Master. I have questioned my Mother as to why she gave those facial features to my brother and she told me I would know…," Malum answered.

_So, Malum's known as Sebastian here…?_

"So, have you figured it out?" asked the earl haughtily.

For a young boy like him, being so pompous to _Malum_…I honestly acknowledge his boldness…and wonder how did my brother even get into a contract with him. The boy looked so delicate, and yet so hardened…

"Young Master, if I may say so, if I am your knight then he is your pawn."

_Whaat?_ _Me_, a pawn? Was it just yesterday that I was thinking I was from a noble family in Hell…

Pride comes before a fall.

"As my mother had requested for him to enter your service – "

_Since when did she say that? She wanted Malum to turn me into an evil demon…_

_So why do I have to enter this young brat's service?_

" – therefore I have thought about his use as an addition to the Phantomhive household. If it does not disturb you, Young Master, he will be helping the three of them –

_Who are the three of them…?_

" – aside from aiding you in your investigations for the Queen."

_Okay, so basically I was just some servant. Couldn't Malum have just said that in a shorter sentence instead of stringing some flowery lines which would make Shakespeare proud?_

_What the hell! A mere servant! _My pride really couldn't take it.

_Sial…_Malum mentally flashed a warning in my mind and I fought to keep my countenance neutral.

"Hmm…a new chess piece, huh?" smirked the young boy as he sipped his tea while keeping his single blue eye on me. I wondered what had happened to his other eye beneath the eye patch. Honestly, if he didn't have the title of an earl, he could have been a pirate.

"Do you have a name?" he asked.

My name. Sial means 'cursed'…But Malum told me I was not allowed to use my actual name here for fear someone actually knew its meaning, linked it with evil occult matters and thus possibly becoming a scandal if the Earl Phantomhive was involved in the supernatural, considering he served the Queen...

"It would be best if you gave him a name, young Master. Demon names are unwise to be known to humans," Malum smoothly cut in.

"Hmph!" His eye flickered in my direction. "From this day, you'll be called Nikolas Michaelis."

Michaelis…That last name sounded familiar…And Malum's name was Sebastian.

_Sebastian Michaelis…_

I looked at my brother before turning to look back at the little earl who had a creepy smile on his face. The little runt had given Malum the name of a _priest_…?

_Father Sebastien Michaelis, the man who compiled a hierarchy of demons in Hell…? The man who was quite accurate as to how many of our kind are in the Underworld…_

_And my name who has its roots from a Saint…_

_This is no ordinary young brat…_

"Do you have any problems with that name?" the earl dryly asked when I had not acknowledged his words earlier.

"No, my Lord…" _I will never call you 'Master!'_

"You seem to have something on your mind about me," said the earl.

I really didn't want to ask. I was curious, but I really didn't want to ask…

"Out with it, Nikolas."

"May I know your name, my Lord?"

If it was true, then it would explain –

"My name is Ciel Phantomhive." There came that smirk again.

_I knew it…_

_Mother…what are you doing?_

* * *

"I'll introduce you to the other servants of the Phantomhive household after I've tended to the young Master," said Sebastian as I was standing outside the earl's study.

I nodded, not knowing what to feel. _Mother…is just…_

_Cruel._

I snorted. There was no point in thinking about it. Now I was a servant at the Phantomhive household, serving a young brat with a name close to mine.

Ciel which meant _sky_…

A pure name on a bitter child…

Malum brought me to the main hall where he pressed on the bell on the wall.

Moments later the other members of the Phantomhive household made their appearance.

An elderly grandpa wearing clothes similar to Malum sipping tea.

A gruff looking blond who smoked like a chimney.

A maid with cracked glasses who turned bright red whenever she was near Malum. _Hmmm…?_

The last to arrive was the gardener – the young boy – who came flying from the front door. "Sooorrry I'm late!" he screeched as the door slammed shut –

And _came off its hinges…?_

I almost gasped. Beside me Malum's eyebrow was twitching. "Finny…," he voiced.

This Finny fellow spun to see the damage he caused. "Oh no! I'm sorry, Mr Sebastian!" he screeched again, starting to cry. Reminds me when I was younger and used to get bullied…but that was all in the past.

Malum rubbed the side of his head. "I will fix the door, Finny. Right now I have an important announcement to make."

"Yes?" asked the three of them, standing in a row beside the old man.

"Starting today, we have a new addition to the Phantomhive household."

Then only they realised my presence.

What a joke.

I am so insignificant.

"Oh, hello! I'm Finny!" The gardener grabbed my hand and shook it enthusiastically. _This boy…he has such lovely aquamarine eyes…_

"Ooi, Finny, don't be so enthusiastic! You'll sprain his wrist at the way you're shaking it!" said the man who was smoking.

_Crack!_

Both Finny and I looked down to see my wrist bent in an awkward looking angle.

"Huuuh!" Finny heavily breathed as his eyes widened to even larger proportions I wouldn't have thought possible. "Oh nooooo! I'm sorry!" he wailed.

I surveyed the damage on my wrist. No bones protruding out meant it was just sprained, and not broken.

I took a deep breath, unsure if this would hurt the human me. I knew losing limbs would hurt, but sprains were another issue…

_Creack!_

I twisted my wrist back in the right position, earning gasps from the three of them whilst the old man sipped his tea.

"Don't worry, Finny. It's a small matter. I heal…_fast_." I smiled. In my head I heard Malum laugh. _Idiot!_

_Aren't you going to introduce yourself, Sial…?_

I felt my face heat up in embarrassment. I'd forgotten about that. In Hell I rarely talked to the other demons and I never needed to introduce myself as my lineage was known.

"I'm Nikolas Michaelis, please take care of me."

Malum gestured with his right hand. _Bow, Sial. You'll be doing that more from now on. Don't forget – you're not a noble here…_

My jaw was clenched as I bent my body forward for a moment. _How much more does my self worth have to be taken away from me?_

"Huh? Mr Sebastian's brother?" gasped the maid as a slight blush spread on her cheeks. "N-nice to meet you, I'm Maylene."

"The name's Bard." Chimney smoker chipped in, adding, "That's Tanaka," pointing to the old man.

"Ho ho ho…"

Huh? Ho ho ho? Wasn't it too _early _for Christmas?

I curled my lips upwards into what I hoped looked sincere enough for a smile.

* * *

"You don't seem pleased at all," spoke Malum as he showed me around the house after arranging the duties to the other three. Tanaka was allowed to sit in a corner and drink tea. I had been quite surprised when Malum smiled _respectfully_ at the old man when we passed by him.

I shrugged. Mother was toying with me but I didn't know the extent to her game. This boy Malum was serving, _Ciel_, despite being a boy I could already smell the stench of a dirtied human.

A human who could have demonic qualities in him…

And _hilariously_ for me who was born a demon, to actually be _purer_ than him…

"What's his life story, Malum?" I asked, stopping.

I'll spare you the gory details, but basically his family had enemies who murdered his parents and his captors sold him to a human auction.

He had been abused there – I think you all understand what _sort_ of abuse - and his cries had summoned Malum's attention.

This was a young boy hell bent on revenge.

I couldn't blame him.

We reached the library.

I was rooted to the spot when I saw the portrait.

"Explain the meaning of this, _Malum!_" I practically hissed. "You…"

"My, my, don't you sound like the young Master earlier?" Malum smirked, folding his arms.

"Mother and you sure have a fucking sick sense of humour! How is it _your _human features bear some resemblance to _his father_?" I demanded.

Then again, the earl wasn't even disturbed by this fact. Perhaps his initial expression had been shock when _Sebastian_ took on that form, considering he had a queer expression on his face when I had some similar facial features to him. _Mother_ had given me those features…

"Sial, _I_ myself have no idea what Mother is thinking. But if you work properly here and _become a demon that she would praise_, then you could at least return home a lot faster than necessary."

I made up my mind. Return home when I was kicked out of it? Bullshit! All of them back home could kiss my ass!

(_Maybe I'll take back that last thought…I have had enough perverse behaviour from my brother at the moment._)

My lips twisted upwards as my glare turned steely. "We'll see."

As I turned to leave the library, another thought struck my mind. I didn't want to say it out loud as you never knew if Mother actually was listening in or something…

_Malum, I think I know why you're not returning home…Best make it not too obvious to Mother because she catches on fast._

There was something about that young brat which allured my brother…_if_ he didn't come home…

"Oh, is that so…_little_ brother…I think you have found _something too_, haven't you…?" his whisper was so close to my ear that I stumbled backwards, my arm falling back to steady myself against the bookshelf.

"None of your damn business!" I retorted before storming out of the room.

I really don't know…

Best to just make myself useful in the Phantomhive household. Lucifer knows how long I'll be stuck here anyway.

* * *

HY : Lord, I just realised that all my asterisk marks to separate different parts of chapters actually don't appear here *sweatdrop*. To the wonderful readers of this story, I hope you haven't been too confused with it (and I have to check on my other works if that's the case -.-").

Thank you for your support! And please do RnR!


	4. Beginning Arc : My existence

So, so sorry for my late update :P Been busy with exams and going for holiday with my family.

Don't own Kuroshitsuji -is sad-

**Beginning Arc **: **My existence**

_What is the meaning of my existence?_

_Why was I born?_

Those were the two questions I plagued my mind numerous times, day, night.

Those questions struck me hard in my head, leaving me a prisoner to my thoughts.

Searching…

Why were the answers so elusive to me?

Would I be happier knowing the answers?

Or was it better to stay in the shadows like I normally do –

_I know I'm unwanted…_

Each time one of my older brothers who invent a new torturing trick or device choose me as their first victim…

Each time we have dinner together I'm always fed with diseased souls lacking nourishment…

While my brothers occupy the higher levels of Hell as their dwelling, my quarters are at the last level: Nothingness. _Despair where tormented souls are sent, fear grips you, twirling around your limbs with its spiderweb threads that bind you tightly in a vice like grip. There is no escape and you go on your own guilt trip before slowly going insane._

Why haven't I gone insane staying there since I was born?

That's right…because I want to know: the meaning of my existence…

I've learnt a long time ago that Father doesn't care – his glances in your direction are so subtle and diminutive you swear it is an illusion, compared to the way he looks at his other sons.

Don't make Mother angry with you. She is Manipulation personified, she gave Manipulation power over even the strongest of minds. That is her greatest poison. She shreds every bit of confidence you think you have inside of you, coming to coo at you later when her mood is much better and offers you an apple like a peace treaty.

The apple is poisoned but you eat it anyway and suffer in silence the pain embedded in your body, the internal scars that will never fade even with the passing of time, _never_. The way her honeyed voice – actually _dripping_ venom – lulls away your barriers of self worth and you agree blindly with everything she says about you although your mind desperately screams at you not to listen to her –

_They're lies. Lies! LIES!_

She's telling the truth.

You want to detest her, hate her with all the feelings you have, but she is still your blood…

Whoever said demons have no sense of loyalties?

I close my eyes.

It's a fact I've come to terms with myself that Death itself would be an interesting option – demons _can_ die, if they offer their remnants of soul to another demon. No human weapons blessed with their Holy Father and Son's name can kill us off.

Why am I hesitating and still living my life like a puppet…?

I am stubborn.

I _have_ to know…

I have to find out what am I living for…

* * *

Ciel Phantomhive's existence mocks my very own. This…this boy whom my eldest brother serves…

A boy who had everything…

A wanted child.

_Wanted_…

Even if he made a contract with Malum himself, he is still _wanted_…

And what am I…?

_You're cursed…_

_Do you think anyone wants something which is cursed?_

" – al…"

I lower my head. _I know that fact, damn it! I know!_

"Sial."

I look up into Malum's garnet gaze. He doesn't seem displeased with my lack of attention at the way he is tutoring me on how to act more like a human _servant _on Earth.

"Y-Yes, Malum?"

I flinch. _He has Mother's eyes…Mother's eyes…_

He sighs. "I see your attention span lasts this long. I will give you a short rest before we con –"

The bell rings, signalling the little runt wants something.

"Just go and see what he wants…I can comprehend this by myself." _I'm not an idiot._

_Leave me alone._

_Just leave me alone._

__

_

* * *

_

I glared at the diagrams and text in front of me, quelling the itch to set the books on fire. Why should I even give a damn about how cutlery was arranged during a meal? Or what type of cloth should I use to polish silverware? Or what tea should go with which cake? Pfft...

Was my existence such a thorn in both my parents' sides that I had to be driven from hom –

No…It didn't even feel like home.

_Bang!_

My eyes shot towards the back door. Finny was panting, his face, arms and legs covered with a thin sheen of sweet, leaves and grime. "Oh, Nikolas!" His lips curved upwards as he approached the dining table.

_How is it that smiling is so easy for him…?_

"Can I…help you?" I voiced, feeling awkward having to speak to another person. Down there I was mostly silent, except when –

* * *

"_Sir, sir, look at what we found!"_

_My eyes flickered dully, trying to comprehend where I was and what was going on…_

_The last thing I remembered was Brother 6 telling Brothers 22 and 25 he invented a new torturing contraption._

"_We'll try it on Sial first before trying it on the other human souls!"_

"_Augh bleg guh!"_

"_Now, don't struggle, little brother…otherwise your tongue really will be mutilated by the hooks…"_

Don't cry, Sial, you're used to it! Don't cry! Don't give them the satisfaction!

_Wrists and ankles bound, body curved up in a circle and the only way to ease the hooks from digging into my skin was opening my mouth because that was where the point of origin was – hooks dug into my tongue. If my wrists and ankles laxed in their capture, my tongue was the one which suffered. Either way was damnation. _

"_Let's leave him here to see how long he can stand it!" Raucous laughter hurting my eardrums as they go hunting for some fresh meat to get a good lay._

_It hurts…It hurts!_

_I use my powers to try and teleport me to my room where I know I can at least release myself – a saw, anything sharp to cut through these barbed wires and ease the strain – _

_Where am I going? This isn't the way to my chambers…_

"_Tsk, all the more reasons demons should be kept on a tighter leash! I'm not surprised they would do this, but it's still barbaric!"_

"_Sir, he's a de – "_

"_Yes, I am aware of that, but since I'm on duty today I'll take care of this matter. Get back to your duties."_

_The wires wrapped around my ankles and wrists were removed, and I breathed in larger amounts of air with my tongue out from my mouth, dripping with both saliva and blood. It had been hard to breath properly with those restraints._

"_Good Lord! Those merciless bastards!"_

_He looked at me, saying, "I'm assuming you wouldn't be missed back home if you stayed here for awhile…?"_

_A Death God._

_My tongue was to swollen for me to say anything coherent. I nodded slowly. _

"_Come now. Let's go to my office where it'll be better for you to rest…I don't know if I'm right in saying this, but in this circumstance, it's a good thing that you're a d- ," he cleared his throat, "- You have the ability to heal fast."_

_He held out his hand. "I think you can walk with some support."_

_I think I was surprised to be served tea and soup, since I had no idea that Death Gods actually ate anything._

"_If you don't have anything to do we can watch these Cinematic Records…"_

_It took me hours to be fully healed from my injuries._

"_Uhm…Thank you for your help…"_

"_If you remember how you got here, then come here again when you are targeted for such attacks."_

_Although he wasn't the type who smiled, he was a very warm hearted Death God…_

__

__

_

* * *

_

"Oh, I forgot Mr Sebastian's instructions on what flowers he wanted me to pick for the dining hall decorations for Young Master's dinner…Wow, you are hard at work here as well!" Finny's eyes were on those books. "They look difficult…"

_I'm actually bored to tears…I want to yawn my head off but I don't want any insects to fly into my mouth._

"They're just instructions I've to learn on etiquette, since I'm still new here." _Just so that I can fit in His Lordship Snottiness' household…_

Finny grinned sheepishly. "Oh, I see…I can't really read that well, so all I can do mostly is understand the pictures…But pictures are more interesting than words anyway!"

_You can't read that well…?_ Mysteriously, a lump in my throat emerged at that moment and I pushed it down – probably a loose hairball. Don't ask. _Such a carefree person…_

"What flowers do you have in your garden?" I asked, changing the topic. I looked at the clock – it was still hours to dinner for the earl, so there was no rush to get the blooms yet. And I could very well finish all those books Malum wanted me to read the entire night if I had to – it was a lot easier to understand something at your own pace instead of being forced to learn. At present moment it just felt nice to..._converse_ with someone your own _human_ age.

Finny took my hand, surprising me. "Wanna go and see the flowers? Mr Sebastian chose the seeds and taught me how to plant them!"

Like before, his hand…

_It feels warm…_

I let him lead the way to the garden where he chatted and gestured animatedly about the various flowers and animals he came across while gardening, as well as the mistakes he made which had to be fixed by Malum…

_Somehow…_

_It feels like I'm wanted._


	5. Jack the Ripper Arc: The Murders

Thank you very much for your support!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji except my OC :D

**Jack the Ripper Arc: The Murders**

"Madam Red, Mr Lau, what are both of you doing?" I demanded as they started to turn the entire place topsy turvy. _Malum is going to get soooo mad…He dusts the room at least three times a day…_

Those two were the _queerest_ people I'd come across…Okay, the Phantomhive servants were one set of queer, but this…

Oh, wait, before that I should tell you that I'm adapting rather well on earth. (Eat dung, Selena!) Just in case you're curious…

My days at the Phantomhive Manor were pretty much routine. Ensure the three servants didn't cause too much damage was what Malum had instructed me. Other than that I was actually free to do anything I wanted. _But_ because of those three…_nitwits_…I was busy most of my days…_and_ nights.

I was passing by the parlour which was closed when I heard the _bingbangs_ of things being tossed around…

"Ho ho ho…" Tanaka was beside me sipping his tea which I learnt was green tea from a country called Japan. My eyebrow twitched.

"_Mr Tanaka, did you let them in…?_"

Tanaka _had_ allowed them to enter the manor while I had been helping Finny in the garden, so I had an absolute shock when I saw the parlour in such a mess. Between ho-hos, Tanaka finally coughed out the names of Madam Red and Lau. _So…Tanaka can also talk…but I've yet to hear him say anything comprehensible…_

(Since I was still new, I didn't really know much about those who served the young brat.)

"We're looking for something important, young boy," spoke the beautiful lady wearing scarlet. I noticed there was also another bespectacled, long haired fellow hunting for something _underneath_ a table. Like there _wasn't_ a more sensible place to look for things…

_Great, I've encountered another idiot. Honestly! Why couldn't they ask Maylene…?_

"Well, what is it? Since I'm a member of the household I should know," I reasoned out, trying to stack papers in order. _I'm so dead…If they come back to see this condition…_I gulped, trying to clean as much as I could.

_Click!_

The door opened just as Madam Red exasperatedly said, "Where did they put the tea leaves in the house? How come they are so hard to find?"

Did she just mention _tea leaves_? I did _not_ hear wrong, correct?

And the looks on both the earl and Malum…

What the dickens! Are tea leaves supposed to be found in the parlour…?

The word 'Kitchen' ring any bells, _he-llo_?

"Madam Red! Lau! Why are you here?" shouted the boy, I mean, earl.

"I'll make some tea," spoke Malum, giving me a stare as I was doing my best to clean up the mess.

_It wasn't my fault!_

* * *

"Ahh, the tea is the same kind, but yet the way you make it makes such a difference. You must learn from him, Grell!" spoke Madam Red, looking at her butler.

My eyes narrowed. This Grell had been such a klutz from the beginning, when he offered to help me, instead I had to do more work. Geh! Must be some distant relative of Maylene's, I suppose.

The next scene _almost_ made my eyes pop out of my head.

"You're still so handsome each time I see you, why don't you work for _me_ instead, _Sebastian_?" Madam Red flirtatiously asked Malum as she…

_Groped_ his ass.

You really rule, Madam Red! I salute you! If only I had a camera at _that_ moment…

'Malum gets First Ass Grope!' would be the heading of the photo.

Malum had been shocked, seeing the way the tea set he had been balancing almost dropped. _Huh…Malum probably never had any female demons groping him so boldly in that manner I suppose…But then again, I've heard rumours he has thorns on his ass. So…_

I hid my snort with a cough and quietly excused myself, not wanting to let Malum see I'd been laughing at him.

The last words I paid attention to were, "Jack the Ripper."

But I shrugged them off since they were of no concern to me.

* * *

_Sial._

I stopped my work of cleaning the window. Malum was beckoning to me telepathically. Making my way downstairs I saw the entire group of five leaving the manor.

I bowed at them. "I'll take care of the manor, My Lord."

I still couldn't bear the thought of calling the little runt 'Master'. Using the term 'My Lord' was merely a title I had to use when acknowledging other demon aristocrats back home in Hell. I would never kneel to that boy like Malum does. I had my own pride. Sadly pride alone wasn't enough to make you an evil demon like your own mother wanted.

"No. Actually you're needed to come with us."

Huh?

* * *

_That bloody brother of mine!_

I seethed as I was standing outside this dilapidated shop with the gothic title of "Undertaker" on it. First Malum said I'd to tag along the crowd, then he brought me to such a wonderful looking place but I couldn't enter…? How is this fair?

I wanted to see some bones and skulls and bloody organs…_such beautiful, lovely things_ I left behind…but _no_. I was to wait outside. I cursed Malum to no end. I hope he burns in Hell. Yeah, _right._

"Nikolas, keep watch just in case any policemen came to the shop. Finding the young Master dealing with such a shady character would bring ill repute to the Phantomhive name," Malum said. I controlled my eyebrow from twitching. Oh, yeah, to the surface world, the Phantomhive was a _respected_ toy and confectionary company…It would shock the whole of Great Britain if the sweet young earl was actually a devil. Ceh!

I scowled, crossing my arms as I sat on one of the barrels outside, shaking my legs.

* * *

The front door opened as I jumped to my feet. They were done already? Gathered their precious information while I looked at ants making way into their nests underground? Sorry, but I really couldn't help the sarcasm…

"Nikolas, I need your assistance."

I hid my scowl but glared at my brother. "What is it?"

"Please excuse both of us for a moment. My brother and I will make the Undertaker talk. You absolutely must not peek inside," said Malum, flashing his confident smile. I wanted to gag. What had this demon up his sleeve? And why was _I _involved?

Inside, I barely had the chance to look around in awe at all the coffins and skulls when Malum gripped my wrist, locking my eyes with his ones which showed silent fury. "_I need your help to make the Undertaker laugh…_"

_Laugh_? Excuse me? My eyes widened.

Go find yourself some fucking _clowns_ then! Or comedians!

_Don't waste our time, Sial…_

Like my time was worth nothing? I gave my brother the most hateful look I could muster before turning my attention to the Undertaker who was sitting relaxedly on a coffin.

"So what do you intend to do to show me a first rate laugh, o Michaelis brothers?" he playfully asked, winking at me.

I repressed a shudder.

_Grab his feet, Sial, and remove his shoes. _At the same time Malum launched himself onto the Undertaker, pinning him down on the coffin before sliding his hand underneath the grey haired man's robes…

_Wonderful…_I was going to be somewhat of a voyeur looking at my brother molesting another man.

Why am I stuck doing _such_ things? Was this some sort of lesson to teach me how to lust for others…? You know, Lust, one of the seven Deadly Sins…?

"Oh…and what are you intending to do, elder Michaelis brother…?" The Undertaker didn't even struggle at us mishandling him. Clearly he was enjoying himself.

_I'm in the company of two lecherous men…Just great. Good thing _I'm _not the one being attacked._

_Sial, pay attention! At the count of three, we're both going to _give him a proper massage…Malum's eyes flared red.

I huffed. _Alright…_Anything to let me get back to looking at the skulls and organs.

_3…2…1…_

Both of us worked on him – I was stroking the Undertaker's feet and it seemed like Malum was busy caressing the Undertaker's chest.

Eww. Gross.

That stupid brother of mine. He could have just said to _tickle_ the Undertaker, but he had to insinuate…a '_massage_'…Ugh!

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

I really should have covered my ears at that time. Damn Malum – could've warned me!

"Please come back in," Malum genially spoke as he opened the door, discreetly removing the cotton balled up in his ears while I staggered to the side, my eardrums almost bursting at the Undertaker's laugh. Said man was still lying on the coffin, looking thoroughly spent. Good thing demons do recover from unpleasant shocks like _these_.

Boy, the Undertaker's tongue completely went loose.

There had been murders going on. Women prostitutes were murdered and their wombs had been removed. The murderer was apparently very experienced and that there was an influence manipulating him from behind.

From behind a coffin I stopped. _An influence…? Was one of our brothers wrecking havoc…?_ I knew some of my brothers could be messy eaters when eating souls, but to leave such a mess…? Ironically, Mother would have been appalled at such poor table manners!

Then again, who would want to face _Malum_'s anger if they already _knew_ he was here in London?

* * *

"What do you think after hearing that?" asked the earl from inside the carriage. I couldn't help overhearing his words as the carriage windows were open. I was outside together with Grell, handling the horses.

"It could have been an anatomical expert," said Malum.

"It's '_the season_' right now, where do we start? There are so many people in the capital!" sighed Madam Red.

"We'll have to wait until '_the season_' is over before we begin our investigations. In the meantime I will make a list of suspects."

Suddenly Malum's head shot out of the carriage, startling Grell who luckily didn't fall off the carriage driver's seat in shock. "Mr Grell, was it? Please drive the horse carriage back safely." _Excuse me, what _exactly_ was I doing, holding the horse reins and the whip…?_

"Aah, yes!"

Was it just my imagination, but did I see a tinge of _pink _on Grell's cheeks when Malum spoke to him…?

Uhh…we'll leave my observations there.

Excusing himself from the aristocrats, my arrogant brother jumped off the horse carriage and disappeared. _Humph! What a show off!_

Sorry to say we arrived later than Malum who warmly welcomed the guests home because Grell went the wrong way (getting scolded by Madam Red) and since I was still new, my sense of direction was hazy so I was excused.

"By all means possible, we are going to catch this murderer!" I heard the earl say.

"Yes, my Lord." Malum's eyes glinted.

I sensed an air of foreboding.

* * *

HY : I'm sorry for the late update, but I'm trying to make it comical - it seems writing comedy is not in me -.-" lol. Thanks for your support once more!


	6. Jack the Ripper Arc : My Fair Ladies

AN: Wow I can't believe I haven't updated in a long time for this fandom as well .. Thanks for your support!

**Jack the Ripper Arc: My Fair Ladies**

It was the first time I did not curse my brothers back in Hell for subjecting torture over me. As Malum pulled the strings tautly, cutting off my air supply, I didn't even bother to struggle.

_Release your breath slowly, Sial…That's it…_ I reminded myself while I was holding onto the wall for support.

"Done," came Malum's voice as he tied all the ribbons in place of the corset I was wearing.

"You see, Ciel. Even Nikolas doesn't mind!" came Madam Red as she handed me an emerald green dress to wear.

Let me explain. I'm not a cross dresser.

But years ago when I was younger, Brothers 57 and 184 had a fetish for young male demons dressed in dresses. Guess who _obviously _was one of their unlucky victims?

Yup, that's right. What they forced me to wear was worse that wearing a corset. Thus when I was *forcefully* roped in to aid the earl's investigations…

"_Nikolas, we'll require your assistance in Jack the Ripper's case," spoke the earl, trying to sound as pompous as possible._

"_Yes my Lord."_

"_We'll require you to wear a dress," added the earl, trying to gauge my expression while I looked back at him. I suspected _he_ was also subjected to this and didn't want to be humiliated alone._

"_I have no problems, my Lord." I shrugged._

"So, Ciel, just follow Nikolas' method and you'll be fine," cooed the earl's aunt as he reluctantly put his hands to steady himself on the wall.

What followed suit sounded like someone giving birth. Or possibly someone terribly constipated.

"No more! I can't! Aaah!" panted Ciel.

"Please relax a little," said Malum, pulling the strings of the corset.

"You have to learn how to breathe in and out," added Madam Red, trying to help.

See? Didn't it sound like such a scene?

"_My organs are going to come out_!" the earl finally yelled as Malum yanked hard.

I really have to salute the ladies of this era for bearing with such torture just to have a dainty waist. Tell me, how can anyone even eat with that _cloth dungeon thing_ on?

* * *

We were at this Viscount's party – the prime suspect. I had my own opinion – he was a paedophile who was interested in girls. Hence both Ciel and I in dresses which I didn't mind wearing, but it _was_ fun to see the earl suffering…

Although much earlier I had been pissed off with Malum.

Sial_, he mentally uttered when we were about to leave the manor. Thankfully none of the other servants were around. Most probably because the young Earl couldn't swallow it down if the four saw him in a dress._

Yes, Malum?

I have to admit…you look very attractive in that dress…Very ravishing…

_The hairs on my arms were raised immediately. Why did I have to look at him at that time only to see him lick his lips?_

_Don't…don't do that…!_ _I suppressed a shudder, forcing the blasted human heart of mine not to pound so wildly in fear. I blocked my mind from all the memories of _those_ times as well being in a dress._

_I'm not going to think about it! I'm not going to think about it! I'm not going to think about it!_

Shaddup! You can compliment the earl but _kindly_ leave me out of it!

_I glared at my brother as he gave me his irritating smirk which I have no idea why Maylene finds it so attractive. Girls…_

"_Oi…are both of you going to stare at each other the entire night long? I'm itching to get out of these annoying layers of cloth!" spoke Ciel smarmily._

"_Young Master, you look really resplendent tonight as Young Mistress."_

"_Shut up!"_

* * *

Our roles were as such: Madam Red as Ciel's and my Aunt, Lau her lover, Malum as our tutor and poor Grell stuck as the butler.

My job was to ensure the earl managed to get close to the _dirty old geez _*ahem* the Viscount in order to capture him. By all means possible we had to bring the Viscount down.

Malum led both of us into the main hallway, blending in with the various aristocrats. _Hmm…if the Viscount is interested in little girls, why does he have so many adult guests as well? _I wondered.

"Eh, that is so cute!"

I turned my head slightly, seeing a beautiful young lady with blond curls admiring someone's hair accessory. I shook my head as she gushed at another person's dress.

"The dresses those children are wearing are so cute!" she cried loudly, pointing in _our_ direction…? Both Ciel and Sebastian froze momentarily as I dragged them away, trying to remain as femininely dainty as possible (not tripping over my heels, that is).

"Okay, I need explanations. _Who is that girl_?" I demanded as I saw the earl break out in cold sweat as we hid behind a table – _of all things…Phantomhive and his servants pick a table as a hiding spot. We're total failures as spies._

"Why is Elizabeth here?" hissed Ciel. "Let's go elsewhere!"

Malum seemed to be enjoying the earl's squirming as well as he added more fuel to the fire. "For your fiancée to be here – "

The Earl's _fiancée_? My eyes enlarged. I couldn't imagine such a cheerful child beside such a grumpy kid in matrimony…

" – If we are to be found out that you are actually Young Master in disguise – "

How the heck could Malum say that with such a _deadpan_ face? While Ciel was hyperventilating I was surprised he hadn't gotten an asthmatic attack yet…

The dances had started. Now was a good opportunity for Ciel to approach the Viscount.

"Here's what I'll do. I'll stall off this Lady Elizabeth while both of you get to the count," I sighed, wanting this to finish as soon as possible. It wasn't that I pitied the grumpy young brat being subjected to Malum's mild taunting, but the thought of a sudden asthmatic attack would draw too much attention.

Imagine a doctor coming through, loosening the corset and the wig falls off…or something revealing Ciel's identity…like a very, very _flat chest_….

Newspaper headlines tomorrow will scream: _Earl Phantomhive's Secret Fetish! Caught with Pants down and Skirt up!_

"Humph," came Ciel's reply, shooting me a glare.

What? No "thank you" but "humph"? I thought aristocrats at least had some manners…Why had I even bothered to be 'nice' anyway?

"I'll be sure to treat your fiancée _gently_," I quietly spoke with a smirk on my face as I strode off, ignoring Ciel's harsh whispers of, "_Don't you dare harm her_!"

So he had a soft heart for her…

Interesting…

* * *

It was hilarious as Lady Elizabeth was chasing after girly Ciel because of the dress he wore while I made a roundabout in order to catch her from behind.

I almost coughed when I saw Malum and the earl dancing – or _trying_ to dance… and his fiancée almost caught them when I glided behind her and put my arms around her.

Ciel's eyes nearly bulged out while I stuck my tongue out at him. Malum was placating him as he dragged the earl further away.

"_Caro mio_, Charlotte! It's been awhile since I saw you…," I cooed while Lady Elizabeth spun around to see me. I gasped, covering my mouth with my fan. "Oh, my…_Scusi_! I'm so sorry, I mistook you for a dear friend…She looks exactly like you from behind…"

At the corner of my eyes both of them were out of Lady Elizabeth's reach. _Good._

"Eeh, it's alright. Aah, you're the one with the pretty green dress I saw earlier! It really matches your eyes!" beamed the girl.

Sigh. To think such a pretty child with a bright smile would marry _such_ an earl…Oh, the irony!

I curtsied before making my way to see how the other two were faring.

So the earl had gotten the attention of the lecher – _I mean_ – Viscount. The way he _simpered_ over the blond man was enough to want to make me hurl. And yet the dingbat Viscount was busy praising him as a "Robin". I shuddered.

_Sial, I need you to keep an eye on young Master. _

The crowd ooohhed as I saw my brother jumping off a cupboard. He had created another distraction right in front of Lady Elizabeth, leaving the earl by himself.

"Hmm…I don't remember arranging a performance?" muttered the Viscount as I smoothly approached them. Up close, the man was in human standards, good looking emitting flower sparkles everywhere. _Airhead…_

I also noticed some young female aristocrats shooting Ciel angry looks for robbing the Viscount's attention. _Heh. If only you knew…_

"Your Lordship, surely you jest! It must have been a surprise at your wonderful party for the guests…," I demurely spoke, making my voice sound feminine like the time I 'bumped' into Lady Elizabeth. I could feel the earl rile up.

"Oh, and who might you be, Nightingale…?" asked the Viscount.

Okay, this Viscount has a fetish for girls _and _birds…Downright weird.

"I'm her older sister. I was wondering where she went only to see that she has charmed your Lordship's gaze…" I hid half my smile behind my fan, honestly wanting to hurl at the crappy words I was saying. I gave the Viscount a coy wink, feeling Ciel's wrath at my monopolizing his attention...

_Tee hee…_

Not wanting to lose to 'sibling competition', the earl fluttered his eyebrows at the Viscount, coyly asking, "I'm really sorry to bother, but would you kindly take us somewhere private to rest, Viscount? I somehow feel…a little faint…" He put a hand on his forehead, feigning illness.

The Higher Powers above should have turned this boy into a famous actor instead of an earl.

Playing along, I waved my fan at Ciel, as though giving him some air. "My dear sister, are you alright? We're so sorry to trouble you, my Lord…" Heh, if Ciel wanted a fight, I wasn't going to back down!

I could swear that some electricity sizzled from both our eyes glaring at each other. _Bzzzt!_

"Oh, it's not a problem, I am so fortunate to have two beautiful maidens in my company. Please follow me," spoke the Viscount.

I sensed it and my primal instincts kicked in. The pervert was scheming something and I had to make sure no harm befell the _jealous_ 'sister' of mine.

He took us upstairs, further away from the crowd and towards the end of the hall. _We're in isolation there…_ I noted. The earl had a similar expression to mine which we swiftly changed to smiles when the Viscount opened the door and beckoned us to enter.

"You may rest here, Robin and you will accompany your sister won't you, Nightingale?" He gave us his famous smile once more which gave me the creeps. First Malum and now him? Yuck!

Both Ciel and I entered curtsying at him. "Thank you my Lord."

It was the young brat who got dizzy first. "There is a strange sweet smell here…"

It was some kind of incense which obviously had no effect on a demon like me, but I'd to pretend to be affected as well.

"Have to get out…," murmured Ciel before slumping over my shoulder as I staggered to the wall before sliding down, unconscious.

"This is a good place to rest, my pretty birds…"

I heard the Viscount say that in a hard tone completely unlike his vain-pot self. So the Viscount had a dark side…

Not wanting to use my powers yet, I counted till thirty to ensure no one was there with us before opening an eye to scan our surrounding. We were in one of the guest rooms. The room looked ordinary, so perhaps we would be moved elsewhere. Footsteps were approaching where we were and I hurriedly shut my eye. Ciel had been knocked out cold by the drugging incense. The door opened and two people approached us.

"Such beauties…the Viscount really has the talent for finding them," came a gruff voice.

Aha! So the pervert _was_ guilty of some shady business involving minors, but was he involved with the Jack the Ripper case?

"Let's bring them to the destined place."

Two men. One who dared snake his rough palms up my skirt to stroke my thigh. I grit my teeth, forcing my human eyes to remain closed. I couldn't afford to blow the earl and my cover. Hopefully the person handling Ciel wouldn't be as slimy.

Why am I always in the presence of sick bastards?

I know one thing though. Once this is over, I so am going to kick the ass of that man who touched me.

* * *

"It's dark…I've been blindfolded…and tied up…Ceh!" muttered Ciel.

Sleeping Beauty had just woken up.

"You're not alone, my Lord," I whispered, reminding him of my presence. We had been tied up back to back with a gunny sack thrown above our heads.

"You idiot! Why didn't you save us?" he hissed. Tsk, that wasn't my job! Rescuing _you_, the damsel in distress, I _happily _leave to Malum.

"My lord, we have to know if the Viscount is guilty of the Jack the Ripper crimes or not. If we escaped now, we wouldn't know the truth. Right now we're in a cage and there's an audience waiting for us to be presented to them," I hurriedly explained our situation to him.

Just as I finished, we heard the Viscount's voice. "Ladies and gentlemen, here is the item you've all been anticipating for…But I have a surprise. Instead of one which I promised initially, I obtained two!"

"Ohhh, ahhh!" came the crowd. _Sick bunch of asshole aristocrats! How would you feel if they were your daughters?_

_Hang on, I'm not supposed to be thinking this way! I'm a demon!_

Beside me Ciel stiffened. "A human auction…," he muttered darkly.

"You may choose to keep them together or separate them. They can be kept in cages for your viewing pleasures, you may use them in ceremonies or parts of their bodies which you desire may be purchased. It's entirely up to you!"

My jaw slacked. Ceremonies? As in _Devil _worshipping? And buying parts of our bodies…

Here's a lil' demon tip for you idiots: Any demons you summon will happily take your sacrifices but _most_ of the time your wishes aren't granted in full because our kind is conniving and evil. What about Malum?, you're wondering. Hmm…my brother is rather serious with the contract since Ciel is keeping him entertained. Whether in the future anything happens I can't tell.

Malum's words from earlier echoed in my ears, "_The young Master has undergone such treatment before, which is why he is the way he is._"

"My Lord, have you heard enough?" My blood was boiling.

"I was waiting for Sebastian to come."

_Ceh! _"Have it your way then, my Lord. Sebastian can come and rescue you, but I intend to have some _fun _first." With that my eyes glowed and I blew, extinguishing all the candles in the area. Snapping off those ropes I flew in the air, aiming my high heeled shoe in the direction of the face of the lecher who ran his palm on my leg.

_Crack!_ I think I might have broken his jaw…But who cares?

"Ooi!" shouted the young brat as I left his side, revelling in the petrified cries of the aristocrats who were suddenly terrified of the black out I caused. I shook my head.

You demented people who didn't mind dismembering girls could be frightened when it was dark? The _irony…_

_Swoosh!_ A strong draft of wind passed by me and I knew Malum had headed to the maiden in distre *cough* I meant, the earl.

_Sial, we're leaving now. Scotland Yard is approaching the area and we should not be caught._

I stopped my movements midair – I was about to head to the Viscount and give him some mental damage – but my _amusement_ had to be stopped. _Damn you, Malum!_ Changing my flying direction, I followed the Dark Black 'Knight' and the Girly Grouchy 'Princess' back home.

That should be the end of Jack the Ripper, right?

Ahh, I'll miss seeing the little runt in drag…


	7. Jack the Ripper Arc: The Murderers

**AN: **Thanks so much for your favs, alerts and reviews, they've cheered me up! (Real life has given me a rather hard hit recently, so I'm doing my best to recuperate.) Uni is starting for me and I unfortunately may lag in my upload of the coming chaps, so my apologies first!

I don't own Kuroshitsuji.

**Jack the Ripper Arc: The Murders**

Apparently I was wrong when I picked up the newspaper from the front of the manor gates. The headlines screamed 'JACK THE RIPPER RETURNS!', leading me to rush the newspaper to Malum.

The earl was the most expressive out of the group investigating the case when he was notified. "What's the meaning of this?" he shouted.

Maybe it was because he was still a kid who couldn't control his emotions…

Or maybe he was peeved that his _hard efforts_ of being forced to dress in drag also didn't help to solve the case…

I quietly excused myself just as he ordered Malum to make a list of suspects.

But I couldn't help but wonder what was Jack the Ripper's motive of just robbing those prostitutes of their wombs…

Did something happen to this murderer that he hated women and their wombs?

Was it possible for a _woman_ to have done the murders…? Jealousy?

Nah, I'm probably thinking too hard.

I'm more interested in reading mystery stories instead of being detective.

* * *

It was a peaceful night…

_If_ you considered I'd been saving the skins of the three other servants. Finny nearly killed all the flowers with his accidental excessive weedkiller, Maylene only managed to break two plates – which was an achievement and Bard didn't burn dinner _only_ because Malum asked him to prepare the _charcoal _for the barbequed ribs.

I was exhausted, but oh well, all in a day's work of the Phantomhive household.

_Sial, come!_

I'd barely kept the fine china in the cabinet when I heard Malum's voice resounding urgently in my head. _Huh?_

My body began moving on its own?

I – or rather _Malum_ commanding my body – dashed to the stables to grab a horse. Locking my eyes onto its brown beady ones, I infused part of my soul into it in order for it to obey 'my' command. Moments later I was galloping out of the Phantomhive manor.

_Malum! What about the manor? You told me I'd to keep an eye on it! _I mentally yelled at my brother, wherever the heck he was. I was irked. Hours earlier his snotty charge and he had left the house, not saying anything about their whereabouts – I suspected they were going to apprehend Jack the Ripper themselves as a last resort – and now requesting back up _last minute_?

There was no reply from Malum, making my eyes widen. _Both of them were in trouble!_

* * *

I located them a few houses away from the one I currently was on. Malum was covering Ciel's eyes. _They were too late!_ Another victim had been lost to the clutches of Jack the Ripper!

I jumped down beside Malum, startling them…and got startled myself.

Whoa, wait a second!

Was that _Grell_? As in Grell the clumsy butler looking absolutely gay? With flaming red hair too! I was really so glad I tied the horse reins at a lamp post a block away from here. Even an animal would have been scared shitless with that appearance.

I'll never judge anyone by their appearance ever.

Grell was the murderer? Jack the Ripper?

But as I stared at him, with his aura…surely he wasn't…?

"Aah, you're here." Malum smiled at me, outwardly relieved. _Ehh?_ A shiver crawled up my spine. I glared at him, still trying to calm down my rapidly beating human heart.

"Oh, it's little Nico! Care to join in the fun…?" cooed Grell, smiling widely to show off his razor-like teeth. My eyes narrowed.

Calling me _little Nico_, the nerve! Do you know how _gross _that sounds?

Grell winked at me. I wanted to puke.

"Don't you dare, Grell. He's _mine_!" Malum yanked me closer to him, his hot breath ghosting my ear. _Sial, cooperate with me right now!_

My jaw had completely dropped open at my brother's action and so had the earl. What the fuck was Malum doing? _Cooperate with what? I don't belong to you!_

A shadow which emerged from the right stopped all of us.

So, the Lady had decided to grace us with her presence. Madam Red.

Grell and Madam Red. The duo was Jack the Ripper. Ciel's _aunt_ was a cold blooded murderer. So my initial thought of a woman being the serial killer wasn't completely wrong…but to be related to Ciel…My eyes flickered to the boy. His facial features were hard and I had a feeling he wasn't going to spare his aunt's life.

"I never would have thought that the person to uncover Grell's true identity would be someone by your side, Ciel," uttered Madam Red.

I looked at her facial expression. She seemed to be controlling herself – her face had the mix of regret and yet also no regret…

"From the very beginning your name was on the list of suspects but you had too good an alibi, Madam Red," said the earl, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"You would even suspect your own?" she asked, surprised.

He ignored her, explaining all his findings and I watched as Grell's face became more cunning and Madam Red's stonier.

"How unfortunate…If you haven't discovered this we still could have played chess together," she said once Ciel had finished pinning the crimes on both of them.

Instantly her demeanour changed into one close to hysteria. "However I'm not going to go easy on you anymore!" she shrieked.

Grell launched himself at the earl, Malum moved to block it while I pulled Ciel aside. The boy was trembling slightly, his eye wide at his aunt using Grell to attack him.

"What is that?" shouted Ciel as Malum was swung the piece of machinery away from us.

"It's my custom made Death God scythe. I guarantee it's first rate! And it's my baby…," Grell proudly declared.

"How troublesome," Malum sighed, as his fingers gripped my wrist.

_What is going on?_

"But of course, Little Sebast…I'll consider _you_ my baby too…I really want to do some vigorous exercise with _you_…" He blew Malum a kiss.

All the pieces clicked in my head as to why I had been mentally summoned by Malum. "Sebastian, you – !" but my shout was stiffened when _my own brother_ _kissed my lips!_

Both the earl and I gasped. You could say my brain had shut down at that precise moment.

"Can you please not say such revolting things? You've made _Nikolas_ jealous. And I'm working too…," Malum replied.

Whaaat?

Whaaaat?

Whaaaaaaat?

_Me. Jealous…?_

Blurry images flashed before my eyes as Grell and Malum battled it out.

"IF YOU HAD NOT BEEN BORN THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE BEST!"

That cry woke me from my stupor in time to see Madam Red who had noticed me blanking out, remove a blade from her jacket in an attempt to stab at her own nephew.

"No!" I shouted as I shoved the earl behind me and took a stab on the arm from her instead. _Shit! _My remaining good arm pushed her and she fell to the ground.

I know, I wasn't treating a lady nicely with all the so-called chivalry and whatnot, but in this case I had to make an exception.

"How could you harm your own nephew?" Those words flew from my mouth before I could stop them. _Damnit, I shouldn't have said that!_

"Why did you live while _he_ died…?" Madam Red broke down as she began to rain blows on the gravel, inflicting wounds upon her hands. "Why? Is this even fair…? You should have d – "

_Stab!_

Madam Red's eyes bulged out as Grell's scythe went through her.

Fuck! I blocked the scene from the earl's eyes the best I could. This was a total disaster.

"You have become weak, Madam Red, and therefore is as worthless as the women I murdered…Also you don't deserve to wear red!" declared Grell, ripping off the lady's coat and draping it onto himself.

I caught flashes of Madam Red's tragic life story from the "cinematic record" due to the death scythe Grell had been babbling about earlier. She had been in love with Ciel's father. She had lost her husband and womb in a horrible accident. She had mentally snapped when a prostitute came to her for an abortion.

Ciel pushed me aside, his voice hard. "Sebastian, this is an order. Kill him!" He had removed his eyepatch – _so his eye isn't disfigured_…

_The contract mark! _

_Hang on a sec, why does it look very much like our birthmark…?_

Sapphire and amethyst orbs flashed in anger.

"Yes, my Lord."

"Since you want to die so much, I'll send all of you to Heaven!" snarled Grell, waving his weapon like a lunatic.

Malum avoided it, flying above Grell's head before giving him a good kick which would have finished off a mortal human. Alas…

"You hit my face on purpose! You're not human!" screeched Grell.

"You're right. I'm a butler to the core. Whatever the master wishes it, I will comply. Currently everything of mine belongs to my master, including my body and soul," answered my brother.

Could anything have sounded more _disgusting_…? It sounded like an indirect confession of love, in my opinion.

But of course Grell beat him by saying, "I'm so envious! Apparently we are unable to reach a mutual understanding. A Death God who takes away the souls of the dead, and a Demon snatching those souls away and devouring them…No matter how much love put in it won't bear fruit, it's like…the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet!"

Dear William Shakespeare must be rolling in his grave in agony at those words.

All the blood drained away from Malum's face.

If this wasn't such a serious moment at the time, I could have died laughing.

"Oi." The earl prodded me. "Instead of watching, go and help your brother out."

I scanned the area. No dangers lurking. "Why not?" I shrugged. Despite being highly entertained at Grell's blatant love confessions to Malum, I was also bored. But at the same time I was pissed off with my brother, how could he do such a _thing_ to me!

I floated upwards to where Malum was. "You're really wasting our time, Grell. I don't like my time wasted." I wanted to go back and sleep, drat it! Instead of being out here in the cold…The nice warm bed back home…And with the sun's rays coming up meant lesser sleeping hours…

Malum purposefully misconstrued my statement. "You see, Grell…Nikolas wants to go home faster so that we have more time to _our private affairs_…"

_Maaluuum!_ I mentally screamed, wanting to swing a punch in his face but I didn't want to risk Grell suddenly attacking Ciel all by himself.

"No way! It will be _me_ who will bear Little Sebast's _child_!" growled Grell.

"Oh go screw yourself!" I shouted, aiming a kick at Grell but he swerved, flying towards Malum.

"If only we could continue fighting…Sadly our adventure has to end now. Let us say goodbye with a passionate kiss!" The crazed grim reaper succeeded in being really close to him, face to face.

Malum's eyes widened as their foreheads connected and he propelled himself backwards.

"It's not fair! You kissed Little Nico but not me!"

Somehow Malum's pretence of my being his lover *_bleargh_* had really rubbed a sore spot in Grell as he swung the blade the same time Malum swung his coat and jammed the contraption.

"I've told you once. Stop saying such disgusting things. You're making me angry…It's not like I wanted to use the coat Master gave me, but I didn't have a choice…" Malum looked crestfallen.

Oh, please, you have about _nine_ similar coats in the wardrobe…And you'd kill me if I even _touched_ them.

With the scythe non-operational – Grell's Achilles' heel – Malum had absolutely no mercy. Grell bashing started.

Despite Grell's grossness, I did feel slightly sorry for him. But hey, you invoked my brother's wrath, so you have to pay the price!

As Malum swung the scythe to plant the final blow on Grell, suddenly a long poled shears blocked the blow.

My eyes widened. _That looks familiar…_But just for safety, I moved to stand beside the earl.

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation. I am Wiliam of the Dispatch Management Division of the Death Gods. I'm here to pick this Death God." A stern looking bespectacled man carrying a thick file and his shears floated off the building he was on and landed smack on Grell.

Oww…That was nasty…But Grell deserved it.

"Will!" I happily waved, surprising the rest. William nodded at me before turning his attention to Grell. Back home, since I was bored and had to escape from being used as a guinea pig by my brothers, I'd used to go and peek at Death Gods doing their work. Will's office was the nearest to Hell and the only reason he spoke to me was because I wasn't like other demons. Will had saved me before from a horrible situation caused by my asshole brothers.

"Dispatch member Grell Sutcliff, you have broken the rules…" The _loooong_ list of misdeeds Grell committed almost made me fall asleep except for the fact he was beating up Grell which kept me awake.

"This thing has caused you plenty of trouble this time around," William finished, bowing at Malum, "Oh, this is my name card."

"Really, having to bow at you who only brings harm, even if you choose to tarnish a Death God's reputation there must be a limit." William was displeased at having to apologise to Malum.

"But Will, Grell was the one who started it!" I objected, interrupting.

"That is true…But demons are those who use every opportunity to leech off whatever comes their way as a means of survival, am I right?"

I looked down. The truth stung, but the truth always hurts.

"Humans cannot reject temptation. When they are in despair, they will grab at anything to help them escape. It doesn't matter what sort of humans they are," said Malum, barely containing his irritation.

"At least you are on a leash, better than wild, untamed hounds." William glared at Malum before turning to look at me. "I hope _you _grow up properly, if anything."

I didn't know what to answer.

"Alright, let's go back, Grell Sutcliff. This really bothersome – already we are understaffed…" The other Death God dragged Grell by the hair.

Malum noticed the scythe Grell left behind and launched it at William who caught it between two fingers and walked off nonchalantly like nothing happened.

_Malum!_ I looked at my brother whose smile had left his face as he ripped Will's name card to shreds.

_How do you know him? Telling you to grow up properly like he knows you so well…_ Malum's crimson orbs bore into my emerald eyes.

_Listen here, _Brother._ William is my _friend_. Until the day I turn evil of my _own free will_, will I terminate my friendship with him._

_I'll wait for that, Sial._

I ignored Malum. Walking past him I approached the earl. "Come, my Lord. Let us return to the manor where my brother will give you some milk to warm you up." I held my hand out to him but he slapped it away.

"I can stand by myself," he dryly said.

"Suit yourself. I'll go and get the horse." Ignoring my brother and his charge, I went to where I left the horse.

At least Jack the Ripper_-s_ had been put to rest.

I was feeling rotten inside. I hoped the day I said I'd have to terminate my friendship with Will would never come. I was quite fond of him – _no, not in _that_ manner, you perverts! – _he was my first friend…

* * *

"What are you doing, using the bathroom for so long?" demanded Malum as he forced the locked bathroom door open.

I spat the toothpaste into the sink, screeching at him, "What the hell, _Sebastian_! Can't I have some privacy in the bathroom? What if I was bathing?"

Malum looked at the toothpaste in my grip and deduced what I'd been doing for the past one hour – brushing my teeth, removing the taste of his damn lips on mine. A smirk appeared on his pale face as he spoke, "You're wasting resources, _Nikolas_. _That_ will definitely come out of your pay."

I snidely replied, "As if that would bother me anyway." Ha! That surprised you, right, Malum? I don't need the money here, it's not like I have anything to buy. Unlike you spending your wages on premium quality cat food!

"Don't take too long. You'll have to wake up early again tomorrow." Malum left.

I probably should start keeping record of how many times I managed to render my brother speechless. For now, Sial: One, Malum: Nil.


	8. Jack the Ripper Arc: RIP

**AN:** I'm so sorry for the late updates. You all know my usual excuses of uni work. But thanks loads to everyone who supports my story, I'm most grateful!

Don't own Kuroshitsuji.

**Jack the Ripper Arc: R.I.P**

"Brother, brother, what's that procession?" asked a little street urchin to an older boy beside him.

"I dunno…I've never seen one before…," the older boy admitted.

"So, brother can also be stupid sometimes!" laughed another one beside the brothers, a little girl and the eldest turned bright red at being told he was stupid.

"It's only natural that children wouldn't know…," said the Undertaker, emerging suddenly from behind the fence as I stiffened my laughter at how his appearance had freaked the three children out. "It's a certain lady's special gala…"

"G-gala?" stammered the older boy as he hugged the two protectively. Still trying to act brave, I see…

"Yep, the final great ceremony of a human's life…" Undertaker's grin got wider before he jumped at them. "A fuuuuneral!"

They screamed and ran while I smacked the Undertaker's leg. "Jeez, Undertaker, stop scaring little children!"

"But I enjoy it…Anyway why aren't you at the church alongside your brother?"

"I don't have an affinity for that place, and it's not like I want to be in the presence of that slavedriver!" I scowled, looking at my bandaged fingers.

It was Madam Red's funeral today. The bratty earl wanted to send her off in a way she would have wanted. He had prepared her favourite dress and he made _that_ request –

"_Sebastian, this is an order. I want to have a carriage filled with rose petals for Aunt Ann's funeral," ordered Ciel._

"_Yes, my Lord." Malum bowed._

Oh, yeah, and who got stuck doing the dirty work? _Me!_ Alone! Why?

"_You'll have to do it yourself, Sial. I need Bard and Maylene's fingers to do their work. Besides, Finny will destroy the roses and Mr Tanaka is too old to do such labour," said Malum._

I wouldn't have minded picking the petals off the roses, but then my brother had to smirk. I silently cursed him once more. Imagine how many roses I had to pluck just to fill one stupid carriage…? Plus the fact I couldn't use any demon powers to make my job lighter just in case anyone of the four members of the Phantomhive saw me (Finny and Maylene do have a tendency to appear when you least expect them to.)

Pssh, I thought a funeral was supposed to be a quiet affair with colours you'd consider dull – white, black, grey…and certainly not filled with roses! But I suppose someone as lively as Madam Red wouldn't have wanted to be sent of to the next world plainly…

_Sial, are you feeling…pity…for a human like her?_ I stiffened, mentally shaking my head afterwards. Where had that thought come from?

"Undertaker, why are you here?" I suddenly asked, curious. The grey, shaggy haired man beside me didn't seem like one who would simply leave his shop.

"I came to show the earl the grave he requested me to prepare."

"Grave?" I scrunched my eyebrows.

"I'll show you my masterpiece." The Undertaker grinned his creepy smile once more as I followed him to the cemetery.

I sighed with contentment as I walked past the various tombstones with designs or crosses, or some with cherubs. Such a lovely sight for sore eyes…

Brother 11 who was a prankster loved playing jokes with grave inscriptions. Like "Rest in Peace" became "Rest in Pieces" or "Loved and Lost" became "Loved and Lusted". It was really hilarious to see those who came to pay respects have their eyes bulge in horror at the altered engravings of the tombstones of their dearly departed.

Come to think of it now…Would I have been seen as more evil to Mother's eyes doing such things? I never participated in them, only a bystander who enjoyed the jokes; or in extreme cases I would be the one bullied to do something, as in cross dress (remember?)

"Oh, isn't this…?" I was stunned at the tombstone. Maybe Ciel…still has some light in him…

"Yes, the young earl requested it. Isn't it pretty?" The Undertaker stroked the side of the tombstone, very pleased with his work.

I nodded. Further away from both of us I saw the earl, Malum and Lau talking. They were probably at Madam Red's grave. Then they parted ways and headed in our way while Lau went to his own destination.

"Undertaker, are you finished?" asked the earl.

"I gave her a pretty burial, see?" He pointed at the tombstone which read Mary Jane Kelly along with her date of death.

"The final victim of Jack the Ripper!" uttered Malum, surprised like I was.

"It seems she was a foreign immigrant. No one could be bothered to take charge of the corpse," explained Ciel.

"That's why the kind earl decided to give the prostitute her own grave…," cackled the Undertaker as he stroked the earl's cheek with his fingernail.

"I'm not kind. I came to an understanding why I couldn't save this woman. I had not made her life that night my priority, I focussed on Jack the Ripper's capture instead." His look bore no emotion.

"Are you regretting it?" Undertaker asked as he chewed on a fingernail.

"No. Jack the Ripper no longer exists. Queen Victoria's sadness has been alleviated."

"Victoria, huh? I dislike her. She merely watches from above while the earl gets his hands soiled."

I folded my arms, watching their exchange. _Queen Victoria, huh? Why must he be so loyal to her?_ Since she was a queen, she could have asked her own _adult _minions, to handle it instead of burdening a small boy.

"It's a history my family has been burdened with. I inherited it with this ring," said the earl, kissing the blue gem which adorned his left thumb. _How sentimental…_

"That ring is like a collar, connecting both the queen and you," Undertaker breathed behind Ciel's ear.

I saw Malum stiffen slightly at the sight of the other man being too close to his charge. _Relax, brother, he won't do anything to the earl… _

Obviously Undertaker was in the young fellow's personal space because Ciel took two steps away from him and declared, "The one who decided to put the collar around my neck was me." There was some fire in his eyes.

"I hope someday that the collar hangs you," whispered Undertaker as his finger tipped the boy's face toward his own.

I grabbed Malum's arm before he was going to launch himself at the shaggy grey head. _In our presence, Undertaker wouldn't try anything stupid as to harm the earl!_

"Because that's boring…" With that he released his grip from Ciel and Malum breathed a silent sigh of relief while I eye rolled. Jealous, much?

"If anything, please come back to my shop. If it's the earl, his butler and brother, you're always welcome. Hee hee…" The Undertaker skipped away merrily, waving at me before he made his exit. _What a fun guy to be with…_

I hope I can visit his shop again. It was enjoyable!

That left the three of us. "I'll go and prepare the carriage," I muttered because I didn't want to interrupt them. Let them have some privacy…although I'd say a grave yard wasn't the most romantic place to confess feelings – okay, I got carried away. My apologies.

I don't really understand the earl and why he chose to live such a life like that. Even if he was to sully himself for the Queen, couldn't it have waited when he was much older…? But Ciel wanted revenge for those who murdered his parents and abused him, so the only way he really could do that…

I sighed.

If you wanted to avenge your parents in the most fulfilling manner, wasn't the best way to play the same game as your tormentors…?

Lure them out, one by one.

Make your skilful moves.

Sacrifice the least important pieces.

Save the best pieces for last.

We're playing a chess game here.

A game with no rules but only death to all the fallen pieces.

_Grrrr…_

My stomach growled. The two lovebir *cough* Master and servant* had yet to make their _grand _appearance to the carriage. _What is taking them so long? If _I'm_ starving, obviously the young boy will be starving too! _

Hang on a minute…if my 'human' body was showing off all signs of being a _real person_…would it play an influence on my thoughts as well? But Malum was acting as a real demon ought to, despite being in that body of his – _seriously, why did he model himself after Ciel's father? The only female so far who doesn't get a blush on her cheeks is Lady Elizabeth…and besides isn't it creepy modelling yourself after a dead guy? Anyway what nonsensical thoughts I'm thinking! – _

Perhaps I was still a growing demon which is why I still have these human traits…like _hunger_ right now…My reasoning seems _off_, somehow. Hmmm…

I peeked at my wrist watch. Malum had gotten me one since I had no concept of time here – _with the kind permission_ of the young Master…At that time I was so taken aback by Malum's submissiveness to the young brat I had blurted out, "If he asks you to strip naked and dance out in the sun for the entire day you wouldn't mind?"

Demons don't like sunlight much.

What he answered was enough to make me wish I didn't ask that question in the first place. My ears almost bled at the answer. Something along the lines of what he told that gay Death God – _My heart, body and soul belong to my master…bla bla bla._

Anyway, back to the present.

I couldn't stand my hunger pangs any longer. I didn't care. If we didn't return to the manor _straight away_, I was probably going to eat Ciel up. You see? I'm _that_ ravenous to the point that I would think of touching Malum's property and get myself in a huge mess – I'm clearly delirious and off my rocket.

I marched towards them, intending to be as _polite_ as possible about the earl's meal times being disrupted. I was also worried about the state of the manor. Maybe I shouldn't have tagged along to the graveyard, but how could I miss a chance to see those tombstones I missed so much? There's nothing wrong with indulging yourself in your whims sometimes. (Although Malum and Ciel weren't too pleased at my tagging along…)

* * *

"Sebastian, this is an order!"

Oh, those _famous _words –_yawn_–must be Ciel's motto…I suppose they were done with their talking or whatever they were doing…?

"You alone will not betray me, you will not leave my side. No matter what!"

Boy, is our little earl a possessive creature or what?

"Yes, my Lord." Malum bowed.

I really wished I never looked at Ciel's face. It had a lot of suppressed feelings. Pain, anger, guilt…It was cold. Ruthless.

Such a terrible looking face on a human.

I didn't want those eyes to look at me that way.

Seeing that look on Father's face is enough when he looked at me before I was sent here. One of those rare looks in my direction to probably make him remember that I existed, I suppose.

"The carriage is ready, my Lord," I simply spoke, my eyes looking at the ground in 'absolute' fascination.

"Let's go. I'm hungry," he mumbled. Malum followed behind him.

I smiled. That makes two of us feeling starved.

I took one last look at the cemetery.

_Rest in peace, Madam Red._


	9. Hunting Arc: What day is it?

AN: Don't own Kuroshitsuji.

I'm terribly sorry for the late update. RL has been busy for me, especially this year's my final year at uni so it'll be a totally crazy year. I'm equally behind my Kuroshitsuji reading :P My updates will be sporadic, but thank you very much for your favs and reviews - much appreciated!

**Hunting Arc : What day is it?**

It was December and the festive season of Christmas hung heavily in the air. Inwardly I scowled. Father Nicholas' celebration.

_Nikolas_…The root of my _human _name. _Saint Nicholas._ The name Nikolas really should have been graced on Tanaka himself. All the elderly man does is go, "Ho ho ho." Then again, to be named Nikolas Tanaka…sounded a bit strange…

I nearly choked on my tea when Finny burst into the kitchen where the rest of us currently were. _For a demon you _sure_ know how to control you human reactions, Sial…_ I mentally berated myself.

He was shouting, "Everyone! We have a problem!"

Sleepy Bard was irritated at Finny's outburst, Maylene asked the obvious question of what was wrong while Tanaka and I drank our tea.

Christmas was still far away, if Finny meant we needed some preparations…

"Has everyone forgotten today is a special day?" the gardener cried.

Tanaka, Bard and Maylene looked at the calendar while my ears pricked up at the sound of a horse carriage approaching the manor.

_Guests this early in the morning? Do Malum and the young Lord even know?_

Ignoring Maylene and Bard's sudden shouts of whatever that important event was – I'd ask later – I went upstairs to start my first chore of the day, which was getting the used dishes from Ciel's breakfast.

* * *

I bumped into both of them hurriedly emerging from the young Lord's room. _Better tell them about the carriage… _"My Lord, Sebastian, there are guests – "

Both of them totally ignored me as they made their way downstairs. I might as well have made an announcement to the wall.

_Who honestly can make the little earl lose his composure? Even Malum seemed in a hurry…_But whoever they were, they have earned my admiration.

As I turned, the front door burst open and in strode a fierce-some looking lady and Lady Elizabeth, the earl's fiancée. _Oh, he's in trouble…? Was the earl doing some hanky-panky with the young mistress that led to this…?_

My lips curled upright when I saw Malum sweating. _Sweating! _Since no one had noticed my presence on the first floor, I decided to merely observe with interest (while hiding, of course! I would be flayed alive if Malum caught me shirking work!).

This lady here, the Marchioness, bore an aura similar to Mother's.

I controlled my laughter as Lady Elizabeth launched herself onto her fiancé, squealing, "The Ciel that has woken up is soooo cute!"

Leading to the prim and proper *_cough – old fashioned_* Marchioness to chide, "It is improper for you to engage in such actions…"

Blah….Blah…I almost yawned. _Boooriiing!_

Ohoho…the fun part started when she set her eyes on Malum.

"That face of yours! What indecent looks you possess!"

_I truly agree, Madam!_

The look of shock from Malum… "I was born looking like this…"

_Yeah, right!_

And she yanked up his fringe! "Learn from Tanaka!" _Tanaka, of all people…But …she has a point. Bard and Finny's hairstyles are too unkempt._

I had to stuff my handkerchief into my mouth to stop me from bellowing in laughter.

"_Aunt, please wait!_" came a girlish squeal I never imagined originate from Ciel. Then again, if he looked good in a dress during Jack the Ripper's case, it _was_ possible for his voice too…Maybe he hasn't reached puberty…? But then with his grumpy sounding voice, was it pretence?

The Marchioness flashed out a comb from nowhere and actually combed _Malum_'s hair after she had done with the earl who had a nerdy middle parting. "I'm going to do an extensive check today!" she declared.

At that moment I stiffened. If she was going to do such a thing…and with those three around (excluding Tanaka)…From my hiding area, I made my way into the nearest room, opening and shutting the door silently before making my way out of the window. I had to look for the three of them and ensure they were out of trouble! Ahh, forget about my own chores – this was more interesting!

_Malum! Where are you taking the Marchioness?_

_Garden_, came his reply.

I dashed there, stopping abruptly when I saw Finny cutting off almost all the winter roses.

"Finny! What the heck are you doing?" I hissed as my ears caught footsteps approaching the doorway which led to the garden. _Shit!_

"Nikolas! I've been looking for you earlier! Today is Master Ciel's – "

The doorway opened as I hurriedly grabbed some of the roses and rearranged them in two bouquets. I bowed before the guests, noting Malum's shocked face at the destroyed garden, saying what I hoped was smooth enough, "We're very sorry for the condition of the garden as Finny our gardener had been trying to look for the best roses to grace both your ladyships' presence."

I held out both bouquets to the Marchioness and Lady Elizabeth. At the corner of my eye I saw Finny cowering behind some bushes with a teary look in his eyes. _I'll have to remedy that afterwards…_

"Oh, how beautiful! Finny is really talented!" gushed Lady Elizabeth, giving me a cute smile to which I bowed in return.

"And who might you be, young man?" asked the Marchioness, looking at me with hawk-like eyes. Good thing I've been brought up with Mother's mannerisms so I wasn't _that _intimidated by her, a mere human.

"I am merely a servant of the Phantomhive household, my Lady. My name is Nikolas." I bowed again. Apparently Malum's butler attitude is rubbing off me…

Hmm…is that a good thing or a bad thing?

She turned to glare at the earl and Malum. "I find it very curious that a servant knows how to be immaculate with his hair but both _Master_ of the house and _butler_ don't…?"

I did a victory dance in my mind. I'd never liked my fringe to get in the way of my eyesight, this always brushing it back, despite being taunted by my brothers for being weird…I didn't want to look at Malum – I wasn't eager to be caught in his wrath as the Marchioness had praised me but shelled him.

"My apologies once more, Marchioness. Let us head to the main hall now," spoke Malum, shooting me a glare that could only mean two things : _Get your ass there before us_, or _you're in real trouble, Sial…_

I approached Finny who was sniffing away, muttering, "I've ruined the garden again…Young Master and Sebastian will scold me afterwards…"

"Finny, it's alright. They were happy with the roses and didn't you hear Lady Elizabeth say you were talented?" I said, consoling him.

"R-really…?" Finny looked at me with his wide aquamarine eyes. I _almost_ lost myself looking in those…_What the – ?_

"Yes. I'll have to go now and make sure Maylene and Bard are alright. You can take care of the garden, right?" I waved before dashing off.

* * *

I barely made it to the main hall in time to see Maylene trip over goodness-knows-what. I immediately slid on the floor, ignoring the sting of friction as I managed to catch almost all the cups and plates save one which was totally out of my reach – _dang_!

It crashed just as Malum opened the door, revealing Maylene picking up broken pieces of china and screeching, "I'm so sorry, Nikolas!"

"It doesn't matter, Maylene, I'm sure you were excited to see Lady Elizabeth again…," I loudly said, making sure that the guests could hear me as Malum closed the door.

I could hear him apologising outside but I could also feel his demonic aura of irritation increase. Uh-oh….

"Maylene, what's going on today? Finny mentioned it was something about our Lord?" I quickly asked, having another destination to 'save'.

"It's Master Ciel's birthday and we're trying to prepare a surprise for him!" beamed Maylene.

Oh, the demanding young brat's birthday, huh?

"I have some matters to attend to first and then I'll help out with the preparations," I said before rushing off to the kitchen.

* * *

"_Baaaarrrd!_" I almost shouted loudly when I saw the chef was going to use dynamite to cook something. _Honestly, dynamite? Which culinary school did he graduate from?_

"What? Lord, Nikolas, you almost scared me! I was just going to roast some chicken."

"No one roasts chicken with dynamite! That's what you have an oven for!" I replied, somewhat relieved that I managed to prevent Bard from doing anything stupid.

_Clink! _

_Boom!_

My eyes widened at the charred kitchen stove and pieces of wood drifting to rest on the ground. My head swerved to look at Bard. _Shit…Malum is going to kill me…_

"I was trying to fry vegetables…," he feebly said.

"With _gunpowder_…?" I hissed as I surveyed the damage. "Bard, you'll have to clear up this mess by yourself for awhile because I need to tend to some matters."

I racked my mind to come up with a good excuse because the damaged kitchen was near the greenhouse which Malum was going to take the guests to.

_Damn it! _I cursed inside as I saw some of the glass panels of the greenhouse had shattered. I'd just started sweeping part of the glass shards away, making my way to the guests whom I knew heard the explosion.

"Have you made a mistake _again_?" asked the Marchioness, looking peeved.

Malum's smile was the patient looking one again, but it didn't prevent his demonic aura from nearly snaking around my neck and choking me…

"My apologies as well, Marchioness. Our chef was so excited to see Lady Elizabeth again that he just…," I let my words fade off, knowing she would understand. The best way to make a good impression to the future household's Mistress' mother was to use tact and charm. A bit of sweet talking couldn't harm.

"Let us all head to the stables then," said Malum and gave me that _blasted_ look again.

Translation: _You. Me. Conversation. Night._

I'm dead.

_Sial, I want the dishes I've prepared for tea at four. Sharp._ Malum's instructions were the usual sounding ones he gave as a butler, but I knew…

He was _definitely_ going to get back at me for this…

* * *

I headed back to the manor, hoping that everything was still alright. It was the young pratt's birthday, so his other faithful servants, despite not being the brightest light bulbs ever, wanted to plan a celebration for him.

Ahh, how I pity my brother having to handle those three…

I screwed up my face.

_Not! _Like I even care!

Phew, all the mess from the kitchen and garden had been cleared and I was sure the three of them plus Tanaka were in the main hall, setting up…

Malum was going to be very displeased.

"What are you doing?" I shouted, pleased to relieve some inside tension I'd been feeling since earlier. Already my cheeks were sore from being forced to maintain the smile and not let the Marchioness sniff out my lies…

The hall was a bloody awful mess!

"What's wrong, Nikolas? We're preparing a party for the young Master…," Finny's voice was small, looking at me…

I took a deep breath. _Chill, Sial. You're the _fantastic_ butler's brother. You should be able to handle this crappy situation…_

"Let's do this properly – ," My voice died when I looked at Bard in bandages. _I hadn't noticed that when I asked him to clear the kitchen…_

I surveyed the mess they made, furiously thinking of ways to remedy it before having to send the food to the guests.

"Okay, we want to have a celebration that will make the Phantomhive name proud, right?" I asked. They snapped to attention. _Just like soldiers…hmm…_

Tanaka ho-ho-ed in agreement.

"This is what we'll do…" There wasn't anything much I could do to fix up matters, only tidy them slightly and hope the earl wouldn't be angry. Heck, it was more of ensuring _Malum_ wasn't mad.


	10. Hunting Arc : Brotherly 'love'

**HY:** I'm so very sorry for the late update and getting back to everyone who reviewed, faved, etc. I don't know how other authors churn out chapters on a weekly basis, I really don't, anymore. Please accept two chapters (this one and the next) and hopefully it isn't too sappy in some parts *insert eyeroll* (I hope I made you lovely readers laugh as well) before I disappear under my terrible workload and not update for the next few months (sobs).

Don't own Kuroshitsuji plus the lovely cover image by Night's-Whisper18-san (thanks sooo much, dear!)

**Hunting Arc 2 : Brotherly 'love' **

_Cripes! Three thirty!_

I hurried with the meal Malum had prepared to the guests and the earl. _Seriously, if Malum prepares the meals…what's Bard's use in the household…?_

Everything was going smoothly. The Marchioness and the earl had some hunting competition where both of them tied. Malum had given me a small smile, which gave me some hope that the severity of his 'possible' punishment later would be …_lighter…_

I was on my way back to the manor when…

_Sial…_

I stopped. It wasn't Malum calling me. My hand slid into my vest, gripping a dining knife I hid there. "Who is it?" I quietly asked, my senses alert.

_Fufufufu…you don't even recognise one of your brothers…?_

A slight rustle from the bushes behind me made me swirl instantly, turning face to face with a –

_bear_…?

_What the?_

"Brother 4. What brings you here?" my voice was flat as I looked at the giant grizzly. _Did Mother send him to see how Malum was doing as well…?_

_Sial…I was bored, so I wanted to see how you were doing…_

I rolled my eyes. "Really? For your information, I am doing well. Now if you will excuse me, I have work to do." I turned away from him. _Bastard! He only wants to see if I feel miserable where I am!_

_How prim and proper you are, Sial…And so well dressed too…_

I stiffened. This wasn't good. Brother 4 was up to something…

_Oh, you were serving guests…I'll go and see how tasty they are…_

_The hell you are!_

I ran after the bear – Brother 4 must have seeped some of his spirit inside it. Didn't he know that he was going to face _Malum_'s wrath? Then again, you can lump relatively half of my brothers together with the other three Phantomhive servants.

"Ehh?" came Lady Elizabeth's shout before she started screaming.

"Liz – !" shouted the earl. _So, he's got some manliness in him after all…_

_Brother, you idiot! Stop it! Malum's there!_ I mentally cried at my idiotic Brother 4. But since he was an idiot…

_Bang! _The Marchioness fired her gun at the same time Malum threw a dinner knife – see, these knifes do come in handy! The knife stabbed the back of Bro – I mean – the _bear_'s head.

By the way, it serves Brother 4 right for his stupid actions. I hid behind a tree, watching to see if everything was alright before I silently headed back to the manor, shaking my head.

Why the heck do I even have such an oaf for a brother…?

* * *

"Surprise, young Master!" cheered Maylene, Bard and Finny with Tanaka and I in the background. I was crossing my fingers, hoping both the earl and Malum weren't too displeased…

Which they were sweatdropping – hey, I tried my best to make the decorations look presentable already!

Eerily, it was the Marchioness who flashed a demonic gaze – I _knew_ she had to be in league with Mother somehow…

Oh no…

"I came here specially to say this, but it looks like your servants have beaten me to it. Happy 13th Birthday, Ciel." This time her face turned tender.

"And also everyone, I'll be counting on you to take care of my daughter and husband in the future…"

I exhaled. So she was pleased with all of us…I suppose the sweet talking helped in a sense…

If wonders never occurred…Ciel, the grouch, actually _laughed_! So I suppose he was still a kid after all…

You know what the best part was? The Marchioness actually nagged at Malum for the service he provided today – the garden, the broken china (_ooops…_) and the burnt dinner…

Maybe I really was going to get it after all…I'm doomed…

While everyone was partying, Malum made his way into the side kitchen where he usually prepared his meals and I followed him. Might as well get any punishments over and done with…I sighed.

"Sial…"

"Yes, Brother…?" I swallowed.

"We have some questioning to do with a particular _bear_, I believe…," said Malum, cracking his knuckles.

At times like this, I suppose a bit of sibling "love" won't hurt…

* * *

"I think this is enough," spoke Malum, brushing his hands.

I felt really sorry for the bear having to undergo the ill treatment. My eldest brother had trapped Brother 4's soul inside the bear thus enabling him to fully torture Brother 4 for endangering "darling" – _shudder _– Ciel's life. Had Brother 4's soul not bound his soul to the bear temporarily, I'd say that Malum would have definitely killed the animal with his actions. I discreetly wiped away the blood which had sprayed on my cheek.

Brother 4 said nothing, maybe because Malum had dislocated the bear's jaw, or probably because he was scared…And so was I. My appetite for dinner completely vanished when Malum launched five percent of his fury onto Brother 4 for nearly killing his prized possession *meal*.

Another indirect lesson learnt : Don't mess with Malum's cats or that little brat. Other than that, you'll still survive.

"Sial, you can clean up the mess, right? I'll be going back to see if our guests are leaving." Malum threw one glare at the nearly dead bear, and withered the nearby bushes at the same time.

"I'll have to ask Finny to trim those shrubs…"

My eyebrow twitched. _You idiot! Didn't you kill those bushes yourself? And I have to be the one handling the bear you pulverized! Clean up your own mess, damn it! _Oh, but I realised another thing…Malum hadn't mentioned Ciel's presence as in calling him 'Young Master' in front of our brother.

I used telekinesis to drag the bear back into the forest, inwardly wincing the entire way. It was as good as dead, really. Even if it managed to survive the night, that bear wouldn't be able to hunt any longer…

When I'd decided I was far enough, I dumped the bear under a tree and began to walk off.

_Looks like brother Malum has been domesticated, huh? _

I froze in my tracks. Was Brother 4 catching onto something? If he told Mother the truth of why Malum was here, as in his suspicion of Malum's attachment to Ciel…Hell would freeze over. I think Mother definitely had her suspicions, which was why she sent me over…But what about Brother 4? Did he come here of his own free will or Mother also sent him? I turned back to look into a shadowy figure of Brother 4 who was slowly releasing himself from his entrapment – the bear was probably dead already, and smirked.

"Malum is interested in having a fine gourmet meal. You don't expect him to roam the world in his actual form or appear to people the same way _you _took over a bear's body, do you?" I heightened my senses, just in case he tried to beat me up, but from Malum's lesson I didn't think he had enough strength to do anything just yet.

My other brother scowled at my taunting and mentally retorted, _Oh, so just because you're under his protection you can act cocky towards me, huh? Just because you wormed yourself into his bed you think he'll protect you?_

_Wormed myself into Malum's bed…? WHAT?_ I hatefully glared at Brother 4, trying to still my body from trembling slightly. What the hell did he take me for?

_His scent is all over you…You must have been quite the experience, thanks to our tutelage..._He sneered.

My jaw was clenched and my fingernails dug into the palms of my hands. He just had to bring up _those _memories, didn't he? Damn that bastard! If only I was more experienced in combat I would have pulverized him!

_You're a fool, Sial. Malum won't take a weakling like you under his wing even if you're writhing under him in bed._

_Your name befits your existence…_

Brother 4's words faded away as he dissipated into thin air.

_Your name befits your existence…_

I stood there for awhile as Brother 4's words mocked me in every direction.

* * *

"What a mess!" I groused when I opened the door to the garden shed – the first time I'd actually been here. After standing on the hunting grounds like a fool after my brother's callous words, I didn't feel like going back to the manor. I didn't want to look at Malum either. All I felt like doing was hiding somewhere, wanting to puke my guts out…and be alone. And the single place I thought I'd get some peace was the garden shed. None of the other servants _and_ Malum would find me out here at this time of the night.

The sight that greeted me was wood carvings, bits of shattered glass and a few glass bottles in a corner. If this mess wasn't cleared, Finny could hurt himself since he was that clumsy. I stopped short. Why would I even be concerned about Finny? I think I should have been more annoyed with him because of the mess he made. I shook my head, removing these unimportant thoughts.

Turning about, I used my senses to feel if anyone was approaching the shed. Nobody was, so I mentally cleared the mess on the floor, arranging them into a pile and then flicked everything into empty gunny sacks.

Wiping the sweat off my forehead, I collapsed onto a nearby stool. Not actually eating since breakfast, running around saving those three goons really could wear you out, demon or not. My eyes landed on the wooden table in the corner. There were three glass bottles I hadn't cleared yet…eh, containing wooden ships? Oh, those ornamental ships-in-bottles which I used to see when I was in town running errands! Those were very delicately made, albeit not on a professional level, but to arrange wooden pieces to make a ship through such a narrow bottle neck was a rather painstaking task.

_Doesn't seem like something Malum would do – his work is usually perfect…_

I scowled, dragging my stool towards the table, my eyes fixed on them. The first ship looked rather plain where the carving had been unbalanced – the ship's stern was bigger than its hilt. The second bottle's ship looked improved, except for the unfortunate fact of the ship's sail slightly cracked and it couldn't be removed from the bottle. The third's flaw was too much glue had been added to the base of the ship that the texture of the glue could be noticed on the wood.

_These seem to be the discarded ones, I'm sure the best was selected as a present for Ciel's birthday._

_Tsk, I can't fathom his actions. Why he wants revenge is obvious, but why his character has to be foul most of the time really has to be fixed._

"Uwa, I'm sorry for making you clear the mess, Nikolas!"

I must have been more drained than I thought, not to have head Finny approaching the shed at all. _Finny made these? For such a clumsy person, he can create such artistic things…_ "Oh, it's alright."

"I didn't see you at the party! Didn't you go for it?" he answered as he neared me.

I hesitated slightly before replying, "I had something to attend to…Anyway I'm not so much of a party person…" _Ceh, staying at the party would have been better than to see stupid Brother 4!_

"Don't worry, I'm very sure Mr Sebastian has extra tomorrow for our breakfast. I really like the desserts Mr Sebastian makes!" His aquamarine eyes sparkled and under the dim candle light I noticed a slight blush on his face.

Great_, another person to add to the Sebastian fanclub…_

"I simply am one hell of a butler," I mimicked my brother's usual butler pose of his left hand on his chest and bowed. "That's what he would say…"

Finny laughed. "It…must be nice to have a bother like that."

My blood almost boiled when I heard those words, but there was something odd about the way he said those words – I couldn't identify what it was. _You have no idea how _'nice' _Malum is…_

To think of it, Malum _did _treat me slightly – a teeny, weeny bit! – better than my other brothers…

Please don't be mistaken. I am still not fond of Malum, or _Sebastian_ as he's known to the general public. Geh!

Changing the subject, I pointed at those ornaments, saying, "I'm sure the earl would like your birthday present. You're really talented."

"I hope the earl does like it…I'd been preparing it since June – you know how clumsy I can get…" He sheepishly scratched his head, and his blush deepened.

June. I did a mental calculation – time in Hell and time on Earth are two different dimensions – right, that time I was still back _down there_.

" – olas."

I blinked. "Yes, Finny?"

"I'll make you one of these for your birthday, okay?" He gathered the three bottles in his arms.

_My birthday? _"Wait, you're throwing them away?" I stood up, reaching towards him.

I bit my lower lip when he looked at me. Didn't what I say just sound very dumb?

"They're not very nice looking. I'll make a very nice one for you, Nikolas!" Finny beamed.

"I mean…they're your hard effort, and throwing them away…would be a waste…"

I wanted to bury my head inside a hole do to the mortification I felt. _Why the hell am I stuttering?_

_Cat got your tongue, Sial?_ My sarcastic inner voice taunted.

"You like them?…Even when they don't look that pretty?" His eyes widened, their glow more obvious.

"Finny, has anyone every told you that you have the most beautiful eyes ever?"

Of course I _didn't_ say that! It would have been the death of me by my own hands. Demon kills himself after admiring beauty of human gardener's eyes out loud. Stupid.

"Y-Yeah." Damn, I can feel my ears burning. All the demons I'd seen before mainly portrayed emotions of evil, malice and scorn – I'd yet to see another demon feeling embarrassed like I did. Was it because I was still young in terms of a demon's years?

"I-I could accept t-them as what you wanted to give me for my birthday…"

Oh, Lucifer, I am so glad no one else is here to see how frigging mortified I'm feeling right now! Finny was looking at me as though I grew another head right in front of him! My human heart beat sped up like it was training for the Olympic games.

Finny held out those bottles to me.

"Thank you, Finny."

Okay, enough of the sap fest, Sial!

I was totally unprepared when Finny suddenly hugged me and it was only by a demon's instinct that I used my strength to withstand the force from his arms around me, protecting the ship ornaments he had given me as well.

It was like a phyton wrapping itself around you bonecrunchingly. (Sorry, Finny!)

"You really are a nice friend to have, Nikolas! You're always helping me out!"

I was once again lost for words.

"I'm so glad I'm friends…with you…" Finny's arms around me slackened as his head drifted onto my shoulder.

Uhh, did Finny just fall asleep on me?

I listened to his heart beating for a moment just to ensure he was really asleep before I telekinetically transferred the bottles onto the table while supporting Finny's weight as well.

Hmm…strange…Finny doesn't feel _heavy_ against me, I would've thought with the strength in his arms his body would be rather solid. But no, he's just an ordinary boy of fourteen who smells of the roses he trimmed this morning, a fresh scent…

Alright, I'm stopping _this _train of thoughts before _unwanted_ things occur!

I yawned, taking an unsteady step backwards. Heck, I really wanted to send Finny to his room, but I had really exhausted my demonic powers…and Finny was sleeping too peacefully that I didn't want to disturb him. I picked a corner of the gardener's shed which didn't have any tools before letting Finny's head rest on my lap while I dozed off as well.


	11. Hunting Arc : Misunderstandings

**HY:** I'm so very sorry for the late update and getting back to everyone who reviewed, faved, etc. I hope everyone has enjoyed the Hunting Arc which ends at this chapter before I disappear under my terrible workload and not update for the next few months (sobs).

Don't own Kuroshitsuji plus the lovely cover image by Night's-Whisper18-san (thanks sooo much, dear!)

**Hunting Arc 3 : Misunderstandings**

"Kyaa!"

My eyes shot open, red and ready to murder the person interrupting my sle – I rubbed my eyes.

"Maylene?"

"Uhmm…is it time to get up already, Bard…?" came Finny's sleepy voice when his eyes slowly focussed on me.

"Nikolas…?"

I almost glared at him. Hey, you fell asleep on me last night and you _don't remember_ the person you were with?

Looking at Maylene, I tiredly asked, "What is it?", as I ran my fingers through my hair.

Finny sleepily sat up, his gardener's vest sliding off his shoulder to reveal creamy smooth skin.

A strange and amazing thing happened.

Blood splurted out from Maylene's nose. Naturally.

Nothing like that has ever happened in Hell before.

"B-B-Bard was looking f-for Finny a-and I was he-helping him," mumbled Maylene as she stemmed her nose with her fingers.

I looked at my watch. Cripes, was it this late in the morning already? Ten minutes to seven, past the time when Malum would dish out our duties at 6.30.

My heart sank once more. Malum hadn't summoned me mentally at all…

"Did Sebastian give me any duties?" I asked as Finny gave Maylene his handkerchief to stop her blood flow.

"No…but he said for Finny to replant the roses in the gardens and trim the bushes near the hunting grounds."

I unsteadily got to my feet, nodding. "Thanks, Maylene. I'll explain both Finny and my absences to Sebastian."

Gathering the ships-in-bottles, the three of us left the shed. None of us said anything to each other, but I observed Finny kept looking on the ground while Maylene glanced furtively at both of us.

"Thanks for these once more," I said to Finny, gesturing to the bottles I held in my arms.

"Nikolas…I…I'm sorry I troubled you last night…" There was a bright red blush on the gardener's face.

"It's alright." I forced myself to smile when Maylene pressed her nose again. "We'd better get to work."

* * *

I headed straight to the bathroom after taking a fresh set of clothes with me. It would be good if I made myself busy, so that when Malum passed my path, I'd be preoccupied and my explanation of my absence last night would be short. I rolled up the shirt I just removed and proceeded to remove my trousers.

The bathroom door swung open.

"The hell!" I nearly shouted as I pulled my pants upwards.

Malum's eyes never left me as he clicked the door shut.

"It appears like you had a little rendezvous last night, Sial…Leaving me all _alone_ in bed…," he smirked as he loomed towards me.

I shakily took a step back and the cold tiles of the bathroom wall greeted my back. "Can we have this conversation later? I'm in the midst of changing, for Lucifer's sake!"  
_Besides, it's not like you need anyone to warm the bed!_

_His scent is all over you…You must have been quite the experience, thanks to our tutelage..._

_You're a fool, Sial. Malum won't take a weakling like you under his wing even if you're writhing under him in bed._

I covered my mouth, feeling nauseous. _Forget about that, Sial – it's not worth your time!_

"You can, but you _may _not!"

Curse Malum and his usage of grammar bullshit! My jaw was set. "You can sense my presence here, Malum, but you obviously chose to barge in on me while I'm changing! Are you that perverted?"

"My, my, such accusations! What if I needed to use the bathroom as well?" His lips curved even more upwards.

Steam nearly came out from my ears. "You hardly eat or drink anything, so I'm positive you don't _excrete_ anything either!" I retorted, gripping my trousers to hide the fact that my fingers were shaking.

"What is it exactly that you're implying, Malum?"

His gloved fingers wrapped around my wrist as he dragged me towards the mirror; my feet barely able to support myself because I was trying my best to get a grip on my feelings.

"Look at yourself, Sial," he whispered into my left ear, "You've got some bites on your neck and chest areas –"

His long digits slid down my collarbone, heading south.

I grit my teeth to stop whimpering.

" – plus you're not even walking properly…What do _you_ feel the others will think…?"

Having fair skin is the worst. One minute you're nice and pale, the next minute when you're embarrassed you flush as brightly as a ripe tomato.

I pushed Malum away from me. "You…you bastard! Those bites were probably from garden insects and my legs are cramped because Finny's head was lying on my lap the entire night!"

I exhaled after my rant.

"Feeling better already?" Malum's human smile was more genuine now.

"Eh?" I was totally caught off guard by his question.

He shook his head, moving to leave the bathroom. "What are you going to do about those bottles on the side table?"

I slid a new shirt on myself, telling myself to calm down. "I-I'll be using my wages to get myself a shelf for those…and maybe some books too."

Inside, I was feeling puzzled with my brother's behaviour. A minute ago he made my temper boil, and yet now…

"It's the first time you ever got a present from someone, isn't it?"

"T-That's not true! I got this watch from the earl!" I thought a present was something nice someone gave you, wasn't it?

"I meant the hug."

"WERE YOU SPYING ON ME?" I erupted.

Malum used his powers to ensure none of the glass in the bathroom shattered. "I can smell Finny on you…"

_His scent is all over you…You must have been quite the experience, thanks to our tutelage..._

Damn it, was it just so easy to have another person's smell on me? And stop thinking about what Sinistra said, stupid!

"I merely made a hypothesis, and your reaction proved me right." Another infamous smirk appeared and his eyes glowed red.

Oh shit. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that.

"I…," I swallowed, "I'm sorry…" Fuck it, I was a coward!

Gloved fingers ghosted over my throat as he folded my collar properly.

"You're still young, Sial…For the time being you should just ignore what Sinistra said to you, those words were a total waste of breath. Anyway the books in the library need dusting, and then afterwards just make sure the three dunces don't wreck the house."

The bathroom door opened, closed, and I was left to my privacy once more. My trousers slid off my hips as I leaned on the wall and closed my eyes.

_So, Malum knew what Brother 4 told me…_

_I don't understand. What exactly is Malum playing at?_

Is it really true what Sinistra, a.k.a Brother 4 said about eldest brother going soft…?

Could he –

Was he really –

I shook my head, wondering where that ridiculous thought had appeared in my brain.

There was no way Malum was 'protecting' me, yeah, what a joke!

But now with Brother 4's visit, I ought to mentally prepare myself for any unwanted family member visits in the future. I have to admit, there is a limit to the amount of shit I have to put up with…especially from them.

* * *

"_Good grief, how is it you ended up in something like this again?" His tone of voice was sharp. There was concern laced in the sharpness, but I dully ignored it._

_I was already in pain, and I didn't need myself to be reminded of my foolishness in being unfortunate to be too engrossed with my book hence walking straight into a trap._

_After an ordeal I'd spare everyone from knowing its details, I dragged myself to what I secretly nicknamed my 'sanctuary' – the Death God's office._

"_Could I…just stay here… for awhile?" I croaked out._

_William's frown deepened. "Not in front of the office door,_ _young one_."_ He held out his hand for me to take. "Come inside and sit down."_

_'Young one' was what William decided to call me since I was unable to give him my name._

_I shakily got up to my feet before dropping to my knees. "Apparently my body prefers being here…," I dryly replied._

_I didn't want to take his hand. I just couldn't._

"_I'll get you some bandages and ointment."_

"_It's fine," I hurriedly spoke, and inwardly winced when his green eyes bore into mine._

_The Death god squatted beside me. "Are your wounds healing properly?"_

"_Nnn."_

"_How – no – why do you put up with this?"_

_Nothing came out from my mouth because I really didn't have an answer. Why, indeed?_

"_As ironic as it sounds, you really have the patience of a saint." He sighed._

_I'm sorry Will – I really don't understand what you meant by that…_

* * *

It has been some years, but I still don't understand Will's words.

But he is wrong. I don't have the patience of a saint.

How can I, when I'm a demon?


	12. Curry Arc: Unwanted Guests

**A/N: **Thank you all for following this even though I'm so many arcs behind Yana-sensei :(. This story is just for laughs to lighten up your day.

**Curry Arc : Unwanted Guests**

The atmosphere was peaceful and tranquil. I was outside on the balcony, breathing in fresh, damp air. It was going to start snowing soon and the Phantomhive estate was going to be blanketed in a sheet of white soon. Yay, no more gardening work! One less chore off my list of duties as well as one less irk whenever Finny did something dumb.

Ahh, what a nice day it is today!

I looked at my watch – I was still early – before making my way down to the kitchen where the other servants would be waiting for Malum to issue them their duties. Occasionally I thought the instructions given were dumb…I mean, come on, you three practically do the same things daily!

A chef prepares meals. Gardener tends the bushes. Maid cleans. Like, _duh_, obvious! And Malum never fails to add, "Please don't make any more mistakes…", which sadly enters their right ears and leaves through their left ears. I swear there is a tunnel through their brains which make such important advice go to waste everyday. Maybe the tunnel through their brains _is_ causing brain damage, which is why they act the way they do…

But ahh, I shall not complain today. It is a lovely day – I love the cold, and I smile before entering the kitchen.

"Good morning, everyone."

"You're late."

My eyes widened. _Malum?_ My eyes flickered to the clock behind him. I wasn't late, it was still 20 seconds before 6.30 in the morning before our usual assembly, so what the heck did my brother mean? "Well, you could have told me last night that you wanted us to gather in the kitchen at four in the morning…," I sarcastically spoke. What a nice way to start spoiling my mood in the morning. Just when I'd decided today was a pleasant day too…Asshole!

"Really, you wanted us to wake up at 4? I'm sorry for waking late, Mr Sebastian!" cried Finny.

I mentally slapped my forehead. Trust sarcasm to be the real thing.

"It's alright, Finny. Nikolas has a lame sense of humour because _he_ came down late," Malum answered, his eyes glinting at me.

"What was it that you needed all our attention?" I asked, ignoring him. I refused to apologise!

"We're going to the townhouse in London," Malum announced. The other servants nodded.

"Alright, we'll take care of the manor," I said, wanting to inwardly celebrate. A few hours _without _Malum breathing down my neck, both day, _and_ night – do you know how freaky it is when you're asleep and you feel _hot breath_ at the nape of your neck…? Or even an arm snaked around your waist? – was like being in paradise, even though I would be stuck with the four servants…Given a choice between dumb (the three) or demon (my brother), I'd pick dumb any day.

"All of us are going. Get ready all the fresh supplies we need for our meals and meet here in an hour." Malum flashed me a smirk before heading upstairs.

I totally ignored the cries of joy from the three servants and Tanaka's hoho-ing. I was in a daze. _We're all going? As in the servants are going as well? _

I wanted to shake a fist at him. Great, you just totally ruined my day and I am going to be a grouch the entire day too…like nearly the rest of the other days since I started working under the Phantomhive name.

Bastard!

* * *

Snow had started falling on the streets of London, and I supposed it would possibly take a few hours before it reached the Phantomhive Manor too.

The townhouse looked _exactly_ like the manor, except that maybe it was half the size of Ciel's actual home. It had a proper gate, a garden, a currently frozen fountain…So why on earth would the earl want to stay in a 'remote' area, and also maintain a house that was about an hour or so away from London itself? Tch! I'll never understand rich nobles!

I was slightly taken aback when it was Lau who opened the door of the townhouse for the earl. Wasn't Lau himself a busy businessman? What was he doing here then?

"What are you doing here?" barked Ciel.

"Ahh, Earl, I haven't seen you in such a long time…," drawled Lau with his usual trademark smile.

Each time I look at Lau, I always wonder if he's high on opium… _A long time? But that was just about two and a half months ago!_

"You look the same as ever," Lau added.

_You mean he hasn't grown taller? Or is he growing sideways instead of upwards?_ I cleared my throat as discreetly as possible, stopping myself from laughing.

A cabbage whizzed past my ear and I turned to glare at my brother carrying a crate of vegetables and two bundles of dried meat. "Ahh, I somehow _slipped_," Malum smoothly said.

"I suppose even the Phantomhive butler has his _off _days," I snarkily replied, grabbing the cabbage and headed to where the other servants were. Seriously, what's with all the food for a _mere _day's trip? The supplies we were unpacking were enough to feed twenty people, including having seconds…It's no wonder _little_ Ciel wasn't growing vertically.

* * *

"Have a safe trip," I wished out of courtesy, before both his master and Malum left to conduct their business for the queen. Closing the door shut behind me, I looked around the hallway – no one was around – before rudely showing the _finger_. _Damn you, Malum!_ The other Phantomhive servants were free from their duties and were playing outside with snow in the backyard, Tanaka with them while _I_ was tasked with cleaning and dusting the entire townhouse.

When Malum had given me those directions after I'd finished helping them unpack their supplies, I wasn't the least surprised. I knew one way or the other, Malum would find a way to get even with me. It was either more chores _or_ he might do something -_censored_- to me at night so I got off lucky. But I was still pissed at him for ruining my morning…_Yes, _I am _that_ grudge-y a demon.

Think it will increase my demonic points?

I headed towards the storeroom to get cleaning utensils – rags, feather-dusters, brushes and both floor and tableware polish. My duties were to get the parlour, dining room and study cleaned first since those rooms would be the first few places the earl would use when he returned from his investigation, before cleaning the other rooms like the kitchen and Lau's guestroom (provided he wasn't using it at the moment). And the library too…_that_ I willingly added on my list since back at the Phantomhive Manor, Ciel had an interesting array of titles. Human fiction was fascinating, but not as absorbing as the human soul books which were my favourites.

Better get to work and finish before Malum and his master return. I think my mood will worsen if I see my brother's smirk on his face when I didn't complete the tasks before he returned. Besides, with the four of them outside, a little demon power wouldn't harm in speeding up my work…

* * *

_Riiinnng…_

It took me two minutes to feel Lau's presence in the entire townhouse before gliding to his room. Ahhh, I _really_, really love using my powers instead of human manual labour. To think Malum had been "human" for years…I don't think I'll ever get used to it.

"Can I help you with something, Mr Lau?" I asked, wondering why he rang the bell.

Lau was sitting lazily on the long couch and flipping through what I'd assume was a catalogue. "Ahh, so I managed to get you quite fast…otherwise I'd ring the bell for longer."

_And how is it a _chore_ if you rang the bell a bit longer…?Can't afford to burn more calories, you lazy -? _My eyebrow was raised. What did Lau need me for?

"Come here…I need your opinion on something."

"If you want I could pass a message to the earl you wanted to see him, since I'm only a member of the household nor am I the butler," I said.

Malum had drilled into me the hierarchy of the Phantomhives. Naturally the little runt was the head, and then Mr Tanaka (surprisingly to me)…I'd always wondered why Malum respected him and it turned out he was the former butler and now he was the "official representative" of the Funtom Company (no one believes a child is capable of running a company). Next came Malum as the butler, Bard, Maylene, Finny…and lastly myself. I was last because I had no official position – I was more of a helper, if anything.

I was 'zero' in hell and 'zero' on earth as well.

"No, I require your services, Nikolas. You see…," Lau's grin widened and his eyes flickered open momentarily before shutting once more, "…I am aware that the earl is displeased with my presence…"

_Damn right, you freeloader!_

"…And I wanted to give him a present to let him see me in a favourable light once more."

_Like that would work, Mr Lau…_

"I'm sure my brother would know what the earl likes best since he's the closest to him."

Lau shook his head. "No, it is _your_ help I need. Sebastian isn't a suitable person to ask."

I raised an eyebrow. "Very well then, Mr Lau – how may I be of assistance?"

I regretted the words once they left my mouth.

"Neh, which one do you think suits the young earl best?"

My ears felt hot and my jaw almost dropped.

"Mr Lau," I replied, trying not to stammer as my eyes shifted from the pages of the catalogue he showed me, "I'm positively sure the earl would be too preoccupied with work and would have no time for new…_friends_."

_Just great…'Friends' is the best word I can come up with for those 'girls'…They surely are a few years older than the earl himself, and to enter such a trade…_

Yup, I'm sure you guessed it. Lau was offering the company of a 'scarlet lady' to the earl. No wonder Malum wouldn't be suitable to ask, since my brother obviously would reject such a thing. But why ask me?

"Nonsense, Nikolas. The earl needs to grow up if he is going to be an important player in the world he's immersed himself in. Why, I had my first taste when I was about his age, and I must say she was a delightful – "

I tuned myself out. _I'm not interested in listening to your sex life, you dirty minded…!_

The minute Lau stopped talking, I quickly said, "Mr Lau, I don't think the earl would be amused by such a present…in this country he is still considered young after all, and it would be scandalous to introduce such activities to him."

In all honesty I have no idea what aristocrats here in Britain do behind their shut doors, but if some can worship the Devil just to grant their wishes, I wouldn't be surprised dark things happened as well…

The Chinese man looked at me, or rather he turned his head in my direction with his eyes still shut. "Is that so…?"

"To gain the earl's favour once more you could try bringing him some dessert…or a pretty ornament for his fiancée?" I suggested. Malum would intercept those to see if they were safe or not before giving them to the earl, obviously.

"Do you want one for yourself, Nikolas? _It must be lonely here…_Don't be shy."

Did he just ask _me_ about _those_…?

* * *

I heard grumbling downstairs by the time I finished dusting the books in the library. Well, don't tell Malum, but I did take an hour to read some stories from an entertaining chap by the name of Edgar Allen Poe. Ciel sure reads some _dark_ material to fuel his revenge, I suppose.

"Pah, calling me all the way to London because of this boring case. What a waste of my time!" came the earl, storming on the marble floor.

_Riiiight…What a waste of my time cleaning the entire place too…_ I agreed in silent sarcasm.

"Well, you can't help but take action whenever there is a threat to the Queen. This is part of being a pitiful watchdog, isn't it, Earl?" answered Lau, chuckling.

"Young Master, welcome back!" The four servants beamed at him. I wish their happy go lucky attitudes could rub off him a little.

"Oh, I see you brought all the servants this time," Lau commented. "I thought only Nikolas was around."

I nearly dropped my duster at his words. Hadn't he heard Finny and Maylene screaming outside when they were having a snowball fight? Or was he too preoccupied ogling at his latest merchandise from the pink catalogue earlier…? Those girls were almost clad in _nothing!_ Come back to reality, Sial!

Apparently Malum must have shared similar thoughts to mine about Lau's non existent observant-ness…as his tone of voice deadpanned, "Yeah, they would have ended up being more of a burden if we left them at home." Then he announced he would be making tea to which the young brat shrugged him off.

I headed to the end of the corridor, entering the third room on my right and kept the cleaning tools in the cabinet. _Since everything is spic and span now, I don't think Malum will give me anymore troublesome tasks..._

I opened the door to hear Ciel shouting, "_Why in the blazes are you here?_"

_Did anyone of the Phantomhive household let strangers into the house again?_

"Huh? But we just met earlier today," returned a male voice with a slightly different accent from the way the English normally spoke. A foreigner?

After some garbled conversation between the Phantomhive servants, Lau and mostly the male foreigner speaking about him saving the earl, I heard the foreigner ask, "Hey, where is the bed?"

Bed? Why would any stranger need a bed for?

A flash of grey and white whizzed past me, flung open the first door on the first floor, before running downstairs, announcing, "Prince, I've found it!"

I blinked, my senses alert. This…person who ran past me was so fast that even my eyes had not caught how he looked like. _It…doesn't seem like a demon…_ I thought, sensing everyone's aura. _His…is rather pure…_

"Tsk, however narrow this place is, I'll be staying here. Move aside, boy," said the foreigner as he brushed past me. His skin was honey brown with golden eyes and mahogany shoulder length wavy hair. And he was a head taller than me. _Damn!_

_What the hell! Such a rude person! _I contemplated burning his hair.

Ciel rushed past me. "Wait a minute! Why do I have to look after you two?" he shouted. I followed behind him, Malum beside me.

_Brother, who on earth is that clown? _I mentally asked.

_We have no idea. We were investigating a case, bumped into them when I was against some angry Indian mob. His white haired follower fought me, and hilariously when they learnt their people were in the wrong, they switched sides. So their people got beaten up by him. I must admit…that follower is quite an opponent._ Malum looked thoughtful.

"I didn't consider staying at an inn, but is it common in England for people to kick their benefactors out into the cold?" The clown smugly said, positioning his body on the bed in a comfortable position.

_Is it common for people to invite themselves into a home?_ I dryly wondered. _It's a good thing I didn't clean any guestrooms, so consider yourself lucky if no mites attack you at night._

Ciel was clearly pissed off. His face was rather flushed in anger. "Aside from that, just who the hell are you anyway?"

_Ciel, this is one of the moments I agree with you…_ I mentally nodded.

"Me? I'm a prince…" The look he gave us was so pompously superior.

_Prince my ass!_

_Sial…_ "Prince?" Malum asked, feeling my irritation.

"He's the 26th child to the King of the princely state of Bengal, Prince Soma Asman Gandal," introduced White-haired-follower-who-earned-Malum's-admiration.

_So what? Last time I checked only first-born heirs were prized. _I knew that sentiment very well.

"I'm going to stay here awhile…_midget_."

I think this is the first time someone has openly made fun of Ciel. He looked thunderstruck.

"As a symbol of our new friendship, Agni here will serve you chai."

How hilarious. Self invited guest with no sense of _embarrassment_ or _respect_ to the master of the house is now acting as though _he_ owned the townhouse. Shame on you, have you no manners? Even a demon like myself at least has some!

"On a cold day chai with ginger can't be beaten!" agreed the follower whose name we now knew to be Agni, waving some ginger he got from thin air.

_Agni…_ I racked my mind. His name meant _fire_…? This Agni fellow seemed likeable, unlike his master.

"Wait, serving tea is my duty!" Malum spoke as he followed Agni to the kitchen below.

"Amazing…Are you really a prince?" Finny's eyes sparkled as he grinned.

_Ceh, what's so amazing about that? Such a prince with bad manners!_ I grumpily thought.

"A…prince?" Maylene asked again to clarify.

"Hmm…this is my first time seeing a prince," spoke Bard sceptically. _Damn right, you are, Bard!_

"I shall allow you to come close," Soma arrogantly said.

_Sure…come closer and look at the blemishes on his snotty face._

Knowing how dense the three servants were, they crowded around the prince, asking him questions about his homeland which he answered.

"Yah, seems like it will be very lively, eh Earl?" asked Lau.

Ciel didn't answer, his face was black.

"Aren't you going to ask the prince anything, Nikolas?" the Chinese businessman asked me when Ciel didn't reply his question.

"Not interested." I think my mood was also getting black.

"We have tigers."

"Tigers? I've never eaten one of those…"

"Tigers are usually not eaten, Finny…"

_Err…I'm sure you do know what a tiger is, Finny…? You know, orange with black stripes, ferocious looking…_

Luckily Malum didn't pounce on Finny for saying that…Tigers are in the same family as his darling cats and kittens.

"GET OUT!" Ciel yelled, erupting.

_Man, does he have some lung power…or what?_


	13. Curry Arc: Culture lesson

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Kuro and the lovely fan art.

**A/N**: Happy New Year everyone! Hope everyone's wishes this year will come true. I'm sorry if I haven't replied your PMs/reviews since months ago as RL had been crazy for me and unfortunately this year it will be crazier as I have to work full time and study part time as well. I will do my best to update, although they are likely to be sporadic. But thank you all for your support, it means a lot to me!

**Curry Arc : Culture Lesson**

"MR SEBAAAASTIIIIAN!"

I stopped my work of dusting the silverware when I heard the cry of the three servants. _Oh, they just realised what Mr Agni has done I suppose…_ A few hours earlier I'd bumped into Agni in the kitchen when the rest weren't there yet and he asked if he could be of any assistance. Since he was a guest I had told him to make himself and his master comfortable.

Well, I _didn't _really know what Agni had done, but from his appearance I sensed he was a competent butler.

_Oh no, I hope he didn't do anything strange…Otherwise it'll be my fault!_

I made my way downstairs, passing by Agni who was carrying Ciel. _Did Ciel ask Mr Agni to be his butler for the day?_ Besides, the young brat seemed to be clutching onto him for dear life…_Switching 'love' interests, Ciel?_

Malum looked perplexed. "Weird?" he asked the three. I managed to catch them shout something about the clothes, food and yard being weird…

My jaw dropped open at the sight that greeted my eyes. The yard of the Phantomhive estate had been altered to suit Prince Soma's culture. _When I told him to make himself and Prince Soma comfortable, I didn't mean in _this_ extent…!_

Soma and Agni's clothes were hanging at one portion of the lawn. Agni had trimmed the bushes to shape elephants. And he had prepared a feast of Indian cuisine. _All within a few hours? Agni seems human…Unless he is some being with powers as well?_

"What happened?" asked Malum as his eyes were wider than they normally were. Then they turned in my direction. _Shit!_

"Well, Mr Agni asked me if he could be of any assistance and I told him to make himself comfortable!" I hurriedly spoke. _Aren't they our guests, Malum?_ I mentally questioned him.

"Ahh, it was presumptuous of me but I've prepared this all by myself!" Agni called out, appearing by our side. His face was glowing.

"Oh, you shouldn't have! Please just relax as you are our guest!" Malum replied, releasing his breath slowly.

"Oh, but it's nothing!" Agni denied.

Hmm, maybe my brother wasn't keen to have the title of the "Best Butler in the World" taken away from him.

"The prince of course is your guest, but I'm still a mere butler. So I think the least I could do is lend the hardworking Mr Sebastian a hand," Agni added.

That seemed to surprise Malum before he looked at the three, and smilingly spoke, "Why don't you three kneel onto the ground and beg for a mere scrap of Agni's talents. Perhaps it would improve you a little…"

I rolled my eyes at his words. I'd been the one having to deal with their mistakes of late, so by right _I_ should be the one to have said that! But maybe it was a bit too nasty of Malum, because the three were stunned for a moment.

Then they launched themselves at the Indian butler, crying out, "Gimme some scraps!"

"I want some too!"

"Me too!"

Both Malum and I sweatdropped.

* * *

"So, how long are you both going to stay in my house?" asked Ciel as 'politely' as possible over breakfast which consisted of the Indian feast Agni had prepared. Both butlers stood beside their masters while I was standing at the dining room door, wondering why my presence was required. The three had been free to do their own activities and yet _I_ was stuck with the duty of standing at the door…

"We'll leave once our work is done," spoke Soma as he stuffed bread into his mouth.

"And that is?" Ciel's eyebrow twitched in irritation.

"Aren't you two looking for someone?" asked Lau, who was also an _unwanted_ guest.

"So what if they are, and why do _you_ need to stay here also?" barked Ciel, polite pretence gone.

So Lau hadn't made any peace offering yet.

"We're looking for a lady. Here's how she looks like." Soma passed a piece of paper to Lau who showed the young brat and Malum. Ciel's grumpy expression worsened. And Malum seemed perplexed as well.

"Her name is Meena, she was a maid at my palace. I drew that picture. I drew it so well that when you see her, you'll definitely recognise her. Isn't she a beauty?" The prince stuffed more food into his mouth. I wondered how he managed to speak clearly and not spray anyone with food at the same time.

Ciel coughed into his napkin. "Nikolas, Sebastian, can you find her with this?" he enquired, beckoning me to approach and take a good look at the drawing myself.

Shoulder length, black hair. Eyes bulging out in opposite directions. A triangular looking body and three fingers on each hand, which I'd mistaken for wings at first glance.

_Suuure_…leave us to find something, no, some_body _like that.

I cleared my throat to prevent myself from laughing. Either the prince needed some serious art lessons or he had a 'unique' sense of beauty. Or maybe it was some new form of art, I had no idea.

"Pardon me for asking, Prince Soma, but may you please tell us her age?" I asked, "Based on your beautiful drawing I cannot tell…"

"Meena's a year older than me." The prince sipped his tea noisily. Ciel winced.

_Gee, thanks. That was helpful._

_And how old are you? _I felt a headache starting. "I hope it's not too presumptuous for me to ask for _your_ age, Your Majesty." Looking at his mannerisms, he could be fifteen – my 'human' age.

"I'm seventeen, and I'm going to be an adult soon!"

"Thank you." My smile was frozen on my face. _Seventeen? Huh, the young grouch who is younger than you actually acts older than you!_

"I'll do my best to find her and so will my brother…," spoke Malum as solemnly as he could. I nodded.

"My, I have never seen such a beauty like this," praised Lau.

"Of course, she is the most beautiful lady in my palace!...Thanks for the meal."

I swear, that Chinese man is definitely high on his own opium supply and hallucinating!

Maybe he needs to get his eyes checked.

"So why is this woman in England?" sighed the earl, with his eyes shut.

My eyes followed the Indian prince and his follower where they kneeled in front of a statue – _where did they even get it from?_ – and began some chanting (I think they were praying, since demons don't exactly 'pray'…)

When he got no answer, Ciel opened his eyes. "Hey, listen!" Storming over to their backs, he demanded, "What is this all of a sudden? Where did they get the statue from?"

"It seems they are praying, but that is such a surreal figure of a god," commented Lau.

"A figure of a god? How I see it is that it's just a statue of a woman holding men's heads as a necklace and happily dances on a man's stomach," spoke Malum.

_Mother looks scarier and more impressive, don't you think, Sial?_

_No comment, Malum. _Heck, I wasn't going to make either one of two fearsome females come after me if I honestly stated my view.

_Coward!_ My brother eyerolled.

I ignored him, listening to Agni's explanation of the statue.

"This is a statue of the goddess Kali from the Hindu religion that we have faith in."

"So it's a goddess from India?" enquired Ciel, looking interested.

Agni turned out to be an entertaining story teller. At the beginning he was calm when telling us that Kali was the Goddess of Power and wife of Shiva as well as protecting the people and giving them many benefits. A demon had challenged the goddess to fight him and obviously the victory went to Kali.

Malum and I exchanged glances. It was likely that one of our siblings had been dead drunk to do something _that_ stupid…

Agni suddenly clutched his heart and lowered his voice. "But then her urge to destruct had not been settled and she got absorbed in massacres and destruction…She made necklaces from men's heads and drank blood…"

"The demon's damage was less than hers, eh? That's surprising…," spoke Lau but no one answered him.

I mentally added Goddess Kali's name as a being I did not want to accidentally piss off.

"Other gods couldn't stop Kali, so they decided to destroy the world at any cost!" exclaimed the Indian butler, clenching his fist. "In order to protect this world, her husband, Shiva lay down at her feet!"

"Oh, so _that_'s why he's trampled on. It's merely a matrimonial quarrel." Malum looked enlightened, but I couldn't tell if he was actually being sarcastic or not.

"Maybe he should have done so before so many were killed," muttered Ciel.

"After she stepped on Shiva with her dirty legs, Kali returned to us and the world went back to being peaceful. In other words, Kali is the great goddess who defeated a demon after a time of strife. She's holding the demon she defeated as proof." Agni clapped his hands together and bowed.

_Doesn't look like anyone of our brothers, Sial._

_Good. Otherwise such a humiliation will definitely cause a death sentence…and fullblown war._ I nodded.

Malum looked pensive. "If such a strong being exists, I have to be careful when I travel to India."

"So you say…," said the earl.

Agni looked at us, puzzled. I merely shrugged my shoulders.

_I_ was not interested in visiting India anytime soon, either.


End file.
